A the Petah Tikvah Magistrate Court a deliberation took place this morning, 11 Cheshvan, on the request of the National Unit of Serious and International Crime Investigations to release under restrictive conditions the Mitzpei Avichai resident arrest last week on suspicion of involvement with the mosque arson in Beit Fajr more than a year ago.

Investigators from the National Unit of Serious and International Crime Investigations demanded that he be released to complete house arrest, in addition to the restraining order barring him from entering Yehuda and Shomron and the large bonds posted. At the end of the deliberation the judge accepted the plea of Honenu attorney Adi Kedar, who is representing the detainee, and unconditionally released him. However, the judge did rule that he would have to post a 3,000 NIS bond.

Another youth was arrested along with the Mitzpei Avichai resident and the police requested that their remand be extended by 10 days. The court rejected the request out of hand and released the two; however the police appealed to the district court which extended the remand of the Mitzpei Avichai resident and unconditionally released the other detainee.

On Sunday the remand of the Mitzpei Avichai resident was extended again and this morning he was unconditionally released after no connection between him and the arson incident was proven.

It should be noted that the Investigators from the National Unit of Serious and International Crime Investigations did not present the detainee with even one piece of evidence linking him to the incident.

Honenu adds, “We reiterate that yesterday the Attorney General’s office and the National Unit of Serious and International Crime Investigations suffered a great downfall when the court unconditionally released the three defendants against whom charge sheets had been filed accusing them of plotting price tag activities. The Attorney General’s office demanded that the court extend their remand until the end of proceedings against them, however the court ruled that the evidence in the case was weak and released them unconditionally.”

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)