Palestinian arrested over body found at Hiriya recycling site

Police say 19-year-old who works at site used victim’s cellphone; his lawyer says he found the phone while sorting trash, and was not involved in man’s death

By ToI Staff 6 January 2018, 8:20 pm

Edit

The entrance to the Hiriya waste processing plant in central Israel, taken on September 19, 2008. (Shnili/Creative Commons)

A 19-year-old Palestinian resident of Hebron is suspected in the murder of an Israeli man whose body was found at the Hiriya recycling site in central Israel last week, the Ynet news site reported Saturday.

Majhad Dababsa, who has worked at the site over the past year, was arrested by police Thursday after he was identified using the deceased man’s cellphone.

The body was found in a recycling container as it was being emptied. Police said the victim, who had gunshot wounds on his body, was a resident of central Israel in his thirties.

Dababsa has denied murdering the victim. His attorney said Friday that he found the cellphone while sorting garbage at work and put his SIM card in. “If he had been tied to the murder he wouldn’t have done that,” she said.

Dababsa’s remand has been extended by five days.