Silwan village
Photo: Yonatan Mizrahi
Jerusalem Arabs charged with attempted murder of US student
Indictment says Silwan village residents tried to slit American's throat, but instead cut his cheek and fled the scene; one of the attackers to serve as State witness
The Jerusalem District Prosecution filed an indictment on Tuesday against three Arab residents of the village of Silwan for the attempted murder of an American student in east Jerusalem's "Peace Forest".
The men were named as Ahmad Uda (28), Fathi Zeitun (18) and Raviah Ghath (21).
Nineteen-year-old Osama Abed el-Razek, another Silwan resident who was involved in the incident, which took place a month-and-a-half ago, is expected to serve as the State's key witness in the case and will be tried separately for attempted murder and possession of a knife.
According to the indictment, the four men attacked the American student as he was walking through the forest and tried to drag him to a secluded area. The student resisted, and Uda then tried to slit his throat. The attackers proceeded to push the student to the ground and beat him.
Uda, the indictment said, tried once again to slit the student's throat, but instead cut him across the right check. The men then fled the scene.
The bleeding student managed to make his way to Silwan, and then walked another 40 minutes to the Old City's Dung Gate, from which he was rushed to the Shaare Zedek Medical Center.
