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Photo: Amit Shabi
Suspects of Einot Tzukim arson
Photo: Amit Shabi

Police: no nationalist motive behind Einot Tzukim arson

The court rules that the two young east Jerusalem residents suspected of setting fire to the nature reserve had no nationalist motive; the suspect arrest is extended by 5 days; police: 'they were running away from police, driving 160 KPH'; the suspects deny these claims.

A police representative said Thursday during a Jerusalem Magistrate's Court hearing that there is no indication that the Palestinians suspected of setting fire to the Einot Tzukim Nature Reserve near the Dead Sea had a nationalist motive.

 

 

However, the police representative stressed that further investigation is needed in order to establish the motive behind the arson attack.

 

The suspects of the attack—which resulted in a massive fire that burned around 400 dunams of unique vegetation— Suliman Batza, 23, and Muntasser Gitt, 19, residents of east Jerusalem with no previous arrest records, were arrested shortly after the fire broke out, and their remand was initially extended by 48 hours

 

Suspects of Einot Tzukim arson (Photo: Amit Shabi)
Suspects of Einot Tzukim arson (Photo: Amit Shabi)

 

The police requested to extend the suspects' remand by eight days. Yet Judge Chavi Toker decided to extend their remand by merely five days.

 

"The two suspects were detained on suspicion of carrying out an arson attack in the purpose of destroying a nature site," Toker said.

 

"They are suspected of setting the nature reserve on fire out of malice, killing small wild animals, and destroying some 300 Tamarisk trees and about 10 Palm trees," the judge elaborated.

 

"The investigation findings support a probable cause against the suspects. The evidence at the scene contradict their version and support the suspicion that the arson was deliberate," Toker added.

 

"The suspects' young age and the fact they have no criminal record were taken into account," she explained.

 

Einot Tzukim fire  (Photo: Firefighters spokesman)
Einot Tzukim fire (Photo: Firefighters spokesman)

 

According to the police, "The suspects' version does not match the findings on the scene. The police have evidence that discredit their story. The National Firefighting and Rescue Authority determined that flammable substance was used to spark the fire."

 

One suspect's representative, attorney Ataf Farhat claimed Batza and Gitt did not know they were being chased after.

 

Damage to the nature reserve (Photo: Amir Aloni)
Damage to the nature reserve (Photo: Amir Aloni)
 

 

"There is no dispute they were stranded without gas and that their friend helped them transfer fuel from his vehicle to theirs," the attorneys argued.

 

"The gas tank (used for the gas transfer) was found in the field and the suspects pointed to the exact location of where they were stranded," Rabah went on to say. 

 

"During the last hearing, the suspects asked the police to watch a video one of them uploaded on social media an hour and a half before the incident," he added.

 

Aziz Bassem, the cousin of one of the suspects, explained, "When the police detained them they said they were high speed driving."

 

"Later, the police changed their version, arguing they were detained on suspicion of arson and were taken into custody," he recalled.

 

Fire damage (Photo: Yaniv Cohen)
Fire damage (Photo: Yaniv Cohen)

 

"Both of them were stuck without gas on their way home from a party. After a friend brought them gas, they left the area without knowing a fire is raging behind them.

 

"I know them well, they had no intention of harming anybody. They are good people. God willing, they will be released in the upcoming days," he concluded.

 


פרסום ראשון: 09.15.18, 19:52
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