Indictments expected in lynching case
State attorney summons suspects, including security guards and an IDF soldier, for a hearing regarding the violence against Habtom Zerhom during the terror attack at Be'er Sheva's central bus station last month.
The five suspects are two members of the Israeli Prison Service (IPS), an IDF soldier and two civilians.
Among other things, they are suspected of causing injury with aggravated intent and face a hearing by the Southern District attorney. IPS officer Meishar Ronen Cohen is suspected of causing injury with aggravated intent and assaulting the bus driver who tried to prevent the attack from continuing.
The letter sent to the five suspects revealed that during the incident, while Zerhom was lying bleeding on the floor, and when it was clear that he was helpless and there was a crowd around him, the suspects approached him and beat him, kicked him in his head and hurled a nearby bench at him several times with the intent to cause him severe injury, disability or deformity.
Those present, including the security officer of the station, riot police officers and another civilian, allegedly separated the suspects from the deceased, asked them to stop attacking and lifted up the bench. The suspects allegedly confronted them and hurled the bench at the victim repeatedly as Zerhom was still on the ground, lying in his blood.
Meishar Cohen was on his way to the hospital to get his hand X-Ray when he heard about the attack and ran towards the central bus station. "I did not think twice," Cohen said after the incident.
"The person who tried to protect him didn't tell me that he was not a terrorist," Cohen added. "He attacked me and began to gesture with his hands and his head. He was not neutralized. The first thing that came to my mind was that he had a weapon. Then he made a gesture with his hand as if he was going to get something. I gave him a kick in the neck and sat next to him. I did not touch him. In my eyes and in the eyes of everyone around he was the terrorist at that moment. I've been in the security forces for 13 years now and I have never assaulted anyone. I came to work to hit someone? I could have escaped. Once I swore allegiance to the State of Israel and I see a terrorist that is not neutralized, I will neutralize him. If in two weeks there's a similar incident, I would act similarly."
