Charge sheet filed against minor suspected of vehicular arson

Thursday, March 22, 12:58 A deliberation took place today at the Petah Tikva District Court in which a charge sheet was filed against a minor suspected of involvement with the vehicular arson and graffiti spray painted in the Arab village of Nabi Elias in the Shomron.
Approximately one month ago, residents of the Arab village Nabi Elias reported that a vehicle had been torched and graffiti – “Price Tag” – spray painted in the village. They also reported seeing a suspicious vehicle fleeing the scene.
The police, who arrived on the scene immediately, called on their PA system for the vehicle to stop. According to the police the driver refused to stop, fled the scene speeding, ran a police roadblock, drove over the spikes set in the roadblock and stopped several hundred meters after it. The passengers then fled on foot.
Police arrived on the scene and found the vehicle abandoned. The police later located the owner of the car and raided his house in Yitzhar. The owner of the vehicle was arrested, spent several days in remand under investigation and was released by the police after it was proven that he was not linked to the arson.
Approximately one week ago, Yassam (Special Police), border police, police detectives and agents from the Jewish Department of the GSS conducted a pre-dawn raid in the communities of Yad Binyamin, Bat Ayin and Yitzhar. Two minors and one adult were arrested in the raid on suspicion of involvement with the arson and transferred for interrogation to the Central Unit of the Yehuda and Shomron Police. A fourth suspect arrested in the raid was later transfered to the Ariel Police for interrogation on suspicion of chopping down Arab trees and released after a two day remand.
One of the minors in the case was released on Sunday, March 18 and the adult was released on Tuesday, March 20; see here. The second minor was ordered released on Tuesday, March 20 by the court. The judge ruled that there was no difference between the evidence against the minor who had been released earlier and the evidence against the second minor. The police appealed that decision and announced that they intended to file a charge sheet against the second minor. The court accepted the appeal and the youth remained in remand.
Today, the charge sheet against the second minor was filed at the Petah Tikva District Court. The police demanded a remand extension until the end of proceedings claiming that the minor may interfere with the investigation and that he poses a danger to the public. Honenu attorney Aharon Roza is representing the minor.
Judge Irit Weinberg-Notovitz postponed the continuation of the deliberation until this coming Monday in order to examine the investigative material.