Released after four days of remand: Two minors detained with nails and a felt-tipped pen

Monday, May 12, 21:11 The two youths, minors aged 14 and 17, detained at the Elad Junction on the night of Thursday, May 8 with a felt-tipped pen and nails in their possession were released after spending four days in remand. Attorney Itamar Ben-Gvir stated that, “The time has come for the police to realize that they must stop ‘looking under street lamps’.”
In a deliberation which took place on Monday, May 12 the police requested to conditionally release the youths after they could not find any evidence which proved that they had any intention of carrying out any misdemeanor whatsoever. The police investigators demanded a 12-day remand for both youths and that they post bail of the high sum of 5,000 NIS as release conditions. Attorney Ben-Gvir, who represented the youths on behalf of Honenu, demanded an unconditional release. In the end Jerusalem Magistrate Court Judge Alexander Ron ordered that the youths spend a week under house arrest and post 2,000 NIS bail.
“Again it is revealed that the police are quick to detain hilltop youth, however the case closed without an indictment and without any substantial evidence found,” said Ben-Gvir in response to the youths’ release. “The time has come for the police to realize that they must stop ‘looking under street lamps’ for children carrying felt-tipped pens and nails.”
The two youths were detained on Thursday, May 8 as they stood at the Elad Junction on their way from the yeshiva which they attend to their homes in Beit Shemesh and Kiryat Arba. Due to their outward appearance, long peyot and large kippot, police detectives stopped alongside them and searched their belongings. After finding in their possession a felt-tipped pen, nails and brass knuckles the two youths were transferred to the Unit of Jewish Nationalist Crime in the Central Unit of Yehuda and Shomron Police. They were investigated on suspicion of conspiring to commit a crime. The investigators claimed that the felt-tipped pen and the brass knuckles are “means to carry out a nationalist hate crime”.
On Friday, May 9 their remand was extended until Saturday night (after Shabbat) and then their remand was extended again until Monday, May 12. Honenu filed an appeal on the remand extension. The Jerusalem District Court rejected the appeal, but did rule that if there was no significant development in the investigation then the youths would be released.
On Friday, May 9 at the time of the youths’ remand extension attorney Itamar Ben-Gvir, who represented the youths on behalf of Honenu, was astonished to see an Arab youth detained on the same day while in his possession a fire-bomb released from remand while the two Jewish youths remained in remand. Jerusalem Magistrate Court Judge Ohad Gordon replied that the remand in the case of the Jewish youths was of “national interest”, as opposed to the case of the Arab who intended to throw a fire-bomb.
On Sunday, May 11 the mother of one of the youths was detained by investigators from the Central Unit of the Yehuda and Shomron Police and interrogated for several hours, apparently in order to apply pressure on her son during the investigation. She has also been released from remand.