Jewish teen arrested in connection to Jerusalem 'lynch'
Arab teenager assaulted in capital's Zion square has no recollection of violent incident; suspect, 19, denies involvement in case
Police arrested a Jewish teen aged 19 on suspicion of involvement in a Thursday brawl between Jews and Arabs in Jerusalem. The suspect, a Jerusalem resident, is being questioned by police.
Additional suspects are expected to be arrested later in the week. Police said the suspect denied the allegations against him.
Meanwhile, the victim of the assault, a 17-year-old Arab from east Jerusalem, has woken up from his coma. He could not remember who assaulted him or any other detail relating to the incident. Police said they would check security camera footage as part of their investigation.
Victim in hospital (Photo: Hassan Shaalan)
"I was surprised to be in the hospital," the victim told Ynet. "I still don't know why I'm here." He added that he does not know whether he was assaulted by Jews.
"I don't remember anything. All I remember is being in Hebron and waking up in the hospital with aches all over my body. I'm constantly shivering."
The victim's mother postulated that the reason her son could not remember anything to do with the assault was the medication he was given.
Scene of brutal assault in Jerusalem's Zion Square (Photo: Avraham Bergman, 24 News)
She noted that the family fears for her son's life. "My son went out with his friends to buy clothes for the holiday and once they arrived on the scene were attacked by racist Jews for no reason," she said.
"We all know police forces were present near the scene but they did not intervene, despite the fact that if it had been an Arab who slapped a Jew, we would have seen large forces arriving and the whole country flamed against Arabs."
She called on the police to arrest the suspects "and not take the matter lightly."
"They should be heavily punished because they caused us suffering. We will take legal action if we don't see results." She noted she was scared to let her kids out on the street.
Another family member said that there is a dangerous phenomenon in Jerusalem where "dozens of settlers roam the shops and brutally assault Arabs when they see them." He said the police fail to stop this phenomenon.
Noam (Dabul) Dvir contributed to this report
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