Authorities say Tariq Abu Khdeir, a US citizen, attacked officers when he was arrested; parents deny charges
An American teenager who was detained during violent protests over the killing of a Palestinian youth has been brought before a court, police said Sunday
Spokeswoman Luba Samri said police were asking the Jerusalem district court to extend the detention of 15-year-old Tariq Abu Khdeir.
Abu Khdeir’s parents have charged that their son, who goes to school in Florida, was beaten by Israeli police during clashes over the killing of Mohammed Abu Khdeir who Palestinians say was killed by Israeli extremists in a revenge attack. The two young men are cousins.
Police asserted, however that Tariq Abu Khdeir resisted arrest, attacked officers and was carrying a slingshot for lobbing stones when he was arrested.
The US State Department said it was “profoundly troubled” by reports of his beating and demanded an investigation.
On Saturday police launched an official investigation into the incident after a video surfaced purportedly showing the beating.
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| The mother of Tariq Abu Khder (portrait), the 15-year-old cousin of the murdered Palestinian youth Mohammed, shows a picture of her son that she took at the hospital after he was allegedly beaten by Israeli border police in East Jerusalem on July 5, 2014 (photo credit: AFP/Ahmad Gharabli) |
Spokeswoman Luba Samri said police were asking the Jerusalem district court to extend the detention of 15-year-old Tariq Abu Khdeir.
Abu Khdeir’s parents have charged that their son, who goes to school in Florida, was beaten by Israeli police during clashes over the killing of Mohammed Abu Khdeir who Palestinians say was killed by Israeli extremists in a revenge attack. The two young men are cousins.
Police asserted, however that Tariq Abu Khdeir resisted arrest, attacked officers and was carrying a slingshot for lobbing stones when he was arrested.
The US State Department said it was “profoundly troubled” by reports of his beating and demanded an investigation.
On Saturday police launched an official investigation into the incident after a video surfaced purportedly showing the beating.
In an initial response, Border Police officials claimed the video was “edited and tendentious” and did not reflect the true nature of the incident. They said the teen had been detained during the arrest of six masked persons, and body searches of three of them yielded knives. “During their arrest they resisted and even attacked the [officers],” Border Police said.
Abu Khdeir’s family denied the charges, Reuters reported.
Muhammed Abu Khdeir was found dead in the woods last week, apparently after he was burned alive. Israeli officials suspect he was murdered by Jewish extremists in a reprisal for the kidnapping and killing of three Israeli teens in the West Bank on June 12. Muhammed Abu Khdeir’s death sparked riots in Jerusalem that spread across the country over the weekend.
According to Addameer, a Palestinian human rights group, Tariq Abu Khdeir was arrested without charges, and despite serious injuries to his head and face, the boy was not given medical treatment for at least five hours. The Israel Time
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