A police officer who was under investigation by the Department of Internal Police Investigations in connection with allegations of branding Arwah Sheikh Ali with the Star of David was suspended, and placed under house arrest for a single day.
Read more:
The officer was suspended from police duty for a period of 12 days, which effectively bars him from participating in any law enforcement activities during this time. Furthermore, he has been prohibited from contacting any of the other individuals involved in the case, which includes other police officers who provided testimonies in recent days.
Meanwhile, additional police officers are also currently under investigation. The decision to remand the police officer in custody is considered unusual and reflects the gravity of the allegations attributed to him. It also indicates the necessity for further investigative actions. Typically, suspensions from duty last for only a few days.
The Commander of the Jerusalem District in the police, Deputy Commissioner Doron Torgeman, conducted an initial inquiry into the allegations made by Ali and chose to support the officers involved. "What we have here is a trial in the court of public opinion," he said, "and it reflects a blatant attempt to completely distort the circumstances of the case."
"They want to present a false narrative as if the officers and Border Police troops who arrested the suspect deliberately marked him with a Star of David. In reality, the gap between the injury inflicted during the suspect's arrest and the false narrative they are attempting to portray here is far from the truth," he said.
The police alleged that the injury was caused by the shoelaces of one of the officers, as the detainee became unruly, necessitating the use of force against him. However, in their original statement about the arrest, issued before the allegations were raised by the suspect, the police chose not to mention the fact that the detainee had resisted violently, nor did they acknowledge the need to employ force against him.
"I place my trust in the officers who were present and in their credibility," Torgeman said. Despite the lack of documented evidence from the officers' body cameras, he argued, "There is nothing to conceal here. All the materials have been handed over to the Department of Internal Police Investigations as required."