9 suspects indicted in Jerusalem lynch case

Indictment exposes Jewish teens' acts of violence and abuse against host of Arab victims in Jerusalem; eight charged with racially motivated assault

Noam (Dabul) Dvir|Published: 08.28.12 , 15:25

Two weeks after an Arab youth was brutally assaulted by Jewish teens in Jerusalem, nine suspects have been indicted for their involvement in the case.

Indictments were filed with the Jerusalem District Court against Shimon Siman Tov, 19, for incitement to violence and racially motivated aggravated assault, as well as against seven other teens. A teenage girl was charged with incitement to violence.

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The indictment suggests that while meeting at a central Jerusalem square, the girl told the defendants there were Arabs in the area and that they should not be sitting there.

The girl was joined by other teens who called to attack the Arabs. "Whoever wants to shows that he's a man go and hit the Arabs," one of them said. The girl then started making racist slurs such as "Mohammad is dead" and "Death to Arabs." Several Arabs were chased away from the scene, some by force.

According to the indictment, at around midnight, a large group of teens started marching towards Zion Square while shouting racist slurs. At one point, one of the defendants noticed an Arab man passing by and tried to kick him. Several Jewish teens encircled there other Arabs who managed to escape.

A short while later, the teens noticed the victim, an Arab youth aged 17, and three other Arabs. They began chasing the four and one of the assailants hit one of the Arabs in the back of the neck.

Two Arabs managed to escape the scene, but the victim was badly beaten to the point he lost consciousness and stopped breathing. He was later hospitalized in serious condition.

The seven teens are charged with aggravated battery, aggravated assault and incitement to violence.

The indictment suggests that the victim's friends took beatings for trying to help him.

One of the defendants' relatives said in court that other teens who were involved in the event have yet to be arrested and had threatened to hurt one of the defendants if he won't take the blame.