Police arrest third suspect in racist beach attack on Arab Israelis

Police said Monday that a third person had been arrested for their suspected involvement in a violent hate crime targeting a group of Arab Israelis in the northern city of Haifa last week, allegedly by a group of Jews.

The suspect will be brought before a judge Tuesday morning for a remand hearing, police said in a statement.

The statement noted that police viewed the case “with great severity,” and vowed the attackers would be brought to justice.

The three victims, a doctor and two nurses from the northern town of Shfaram, filed a complaint with police Thursday, telling investigators they were relaxing on the beach the night before when they were approached by a man who asked them if they were Arabs.

After replying that they were, the suspect allegedly left and came back with some nine other people and proceeded to beat the three beach-goers with knives and metal bars.

The Haifa Magistrate’s Court on Saturday ordered a 23-year-old suspect, a resident of Nesher, placed under house arrest for three days.

A second suspect, a 29-year-old, also from Nesher, who was arrested by police on Saturday, was also sent to house arrest on Sunday after the judge ruled there was insufficient evidence to justify keeping him in detention.

The suspect claimed he was not at the beach at the time of the attack and said he had “no idea” why he was arrested.

Both suspects’ names have been placed under a court-imposed gag order.

One of the victims described the attack as unprovoked and nationalistically motivated.

“They came over with knives, with metal bars. They just started beating us for no reason,” one of the victims, whose name was withheld, told Hadashot TV news on Saturday. “They planned to kill us, all three of us.”

“This was a nationalistic attack,” he added.

“Not all people are bad like these guys were. The people who helped us were these two Jews who got the group to get away,” he said. “Not all the people are the same, and we are also part of the nation of Israel.”

The three victims were taken to hospital to receive medical attention for their injuries.

Another victim said it was the first time he had encountered such violence. “How can someone ask someone what they are and then beat them?” he said. “Are we not allowed to be here because we’re Arabs? This is a public place and all Israelis are allowed. I was born here in Haifa.”