Attempted execution
Photo: Visual Photos
3 youths accused of trying to execute Palestinian
Three Arabeh residents allegedly kidnap Hebron resident over suspicions he stole holy books from mosque
Three youths from the Galilee village of Arabeh were indicted on Monday on charges of physically assaulting and attempting to murder a Palestinian illegal alien suspected of stealing Koran books from the mosque in the village.
The Haifa Magistrates Court heard that the three youths had kidnapped the Palestinian man with the intention of causing him severe bodily harm.
Two of the accused, aged 21 and 19, took the 24-year-old Palestinian from Hebron to an olive orchard where they threatened to kill him if he did not admit to having snatched holy books from the mosque.
The two suspects picked up the Palestinian man in their Subaru car at the village's entrance where he was hitchhiking.
Amer Asala and Mohammad Yassin were also accused of striping the youth naked and tying him to a tree.
At one stage the two suspects threatened to electrocute the youth using the car's battery. The suspects then proceeded to beating the youth with wooden boards they hid in their car.
A third suspect, Saoud Yassin, 18, joined the suspects in beating the Palestinian youth at a different location.
The prosecution told the court that the suspects had set up makeshift gallows where the placed a noose around the Palestinian's head and threatened to pull the chair from beneath him if he did not confess to the theft.
Asala is accused of kicking the chair from under the Palestinian who hung in the air for a couple of seconds before fainting. At this point the accused removed the noose from his neck and called the police.
The prosecution has demanded that their remand be extended.
