4 men charged in attack on Israeli tourists in Argentina
Argentines accused of assault, robbery, after they entered Patagonia hostel and beat tourists while shouting anti-Semitic slurs; 12 people were injured in attack.
Four Argentines have been charged in an attack on Israeli tourists in a popular area of Patagonia, an owner of the hostel where the assault happened said Friday.
Judge Guido Sebastian Otranto charged three men with assault, robbery and resisting arrest, hostel owner Yoav Pollac told The Associated Press. The fourth was charged with covering up the attack by taking objects that were stolen and hiding them in his apartment.
Pollac said the attack happened Jan. 19 at the Onda Azul hostel in the tourist area of Lago Puelo, about 1,056 miles (1,700 kilometers) south of Buenos Aires. It began with gunshots in the air and rock throwing, and then the assailants entered the hostel and beat several Israeli tourists while making anti-Semitic slurs. In total, a dozen people, including police officers, were injured.
The suspect's identities were not released.
Pollac told AFP that the attackers, who appeared to be drunk, also broke windows and stole money, luggage and cell phones. Some reports said that shots were fired.
The police managed to break up the party only after an hour and a half. The wounded, both officers and local citizens, were taken to the hospital. The owners of the hostel were also attacked, but did not require medical treatment. Israelis who were in the hostel at the time were unharmed.
The Israelis informed the Foreign Ministry of the attack as it was happening, saying that they had locked themselves inside a room in the hostel and were lying on the floor in order to protect themselves.
The attackers screamed profanities and yelled that the Jews were stealing Patagonia, area police commissioner Dario Gonzalez said.
Gonzalez described the attack as an isolated incident and not related to any political group.
The attackers were young people who had complained about noise from the hostel, Gonzalez said.
The attack forced the hostel, which hosts about 150 tourists at a time, to close temporarily.
