Haredi arrested for snatching body; police fear riots
Shmuel Bezalel allegedly led group that stole woman's body to prevent autopsy; his attorney says arrest not related to investigation
The Jerusalem Magistrates' Court on Monday extended by a day the remand of an ultra-Orthodox man who is the main suspect in the snatching of the body of 25-year-old woman whose death was apparently drug-related.
During the incident in question, which occurred in Jerusalem's Geula neighborhood in early February, dozens of haredim snatched the woman's body from the hands of a police officer to prevent it from being transported to the Abu Kabir Forensic Institute for an autopsy. The officer was allegedly attacked by a group of ultra-Orthodox men headed by the prime suspect in the case, Shmuel Bezalel.
The haredim reportedly shouted "Nazis, go back to Germany" at police.
Two hundred additional police officers were dispatched to the scene, and began scouring the Geula and Mea Shearim neighborhoods for the body, while at the same time engaging in talks with haredi leaders.
Three hours later, with the help of the ZAKA rescue unit, the body was transferred to a policeman's house, where it was examined to rule out foul play.
The police reached an understanding with the Eda Haredit organization that the woman's corpse would not undergo an autopsy.
Attorney David Halevy, representing Bezalel, said his client's arrest was related to the wave of haredi protests rather than to the actual investigation into the specific incident, adding that police gave no reason for arresting Bezalel on Monday, just before the Shavuot holiday and some three months after the investigation was launched.
Meanwhile, Ynet reported on Monday that the damage from the riots carried out by members of the Eda Haharedit in Jerusalem Sunday is valued at NIS 1 million (about $270,000). A Ynet investigation revealed that the municipal coffers will bear the burden of the protesters' vandalism, which included damage to garbage bins, roads, vehicles, traffic lights, and street lights.
Internal Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch condemned the violence carried out during the haredi protest against the relocation of graves at a construction site at Barzilai Medical Center in Ashkelon.
"Anyone who damaged property and harmed police will be served with an indictment," Aharonovitch assured.
