Suspect, four others, held for Tel Aviv rape

Tel Aviv police on Monday arrested a 21-year-old Palestinian on suspicion of carrying out a shocking rape early on Saturday morning in the bathroom of a parking lot in Tel Aviv.

The suspect was arrested at a restaurant on Ibn Gvirol Street, close to the scene of the crime. Four others were also held, apparently on suspicion of interfering with the police investigation into the attack.

The suspect, who was traced on the basis of DNA evidence, fingerprints, and closed circuit camera footage from the scene, was to be brought before a judge on Tuesday for a remand hearing.

Police had indicated in the past two days that they were closing in on the man, who allegedly brutally raped a young woman in the bathroom of the parking lot after forcing her and her boyfriend to have sex with each other at knifepoint.

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According to the initial investigation, the couple, both aged 18, entered the garage next to Tel Aviv City Hall at 3:30 a.m. on Saturday morning to get their car, and the perpetrator took advantage of the deserted garage and the late hour. Police forensic experts collected DNA samples and fingerprints from the scene of the crime, and reviewed the garage’s security camera footage.

According to police, the suspect lives in the Nablus area and has worked illegally in Tel Aviv restaurants for some time. The suspect has a record of minor crimes but nothing of this magnitude or of a sexual nature.