Israeli arrested on suspicion of arson of asylum seekers’ homes

By Haggai Matar April 28, 2012 | Edit

A 20-year-old Israeli from south Tel Aviv has been arrested last night in connection to the arson attacks on four asylum seekers’ houses and one kindergarten. Police says the young man is suspected of having committed the attacks on racist grounds, in an attempt to force non-Israeli residents out of the neighborhood. The suspect will be brought before a court this morning, and police are asking to extend his detention until the investigation is complete. Updates will follow.

Update, 15:15: A Tel Aviv judge has extended the remand of the young man arrested in relation to the arson attacks. The man is a resident of Shapira neighborhood, has a criminal record, and according to police was recently arrested for throwing eggs at a Sudanese asylum seeker. He is now suspected of committing several acts of arson. The court accepted the request made by police to extend his detention pending further interrogation until Wednesday morning.

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TEST TEST GAL Our team has been devastated by the horrific events of this latest war. The world is reeling from Israel’s unprecedented onslaught on Gaza, inflicting mass devastation and death upon besieged Palestinians, as well as the atrocious attack and kidnappings by Hamas in Israel on October 7. Our hearts are with all the people and communities facing this violence. We are in an extraordinarily dangerous era in Israel-Palestine. The bloodshed has reached extreme levels of brutality and threatens to engulf the entire region. Emboldened settlers in the West Bank, backed by the army, are seizing the opportunity to intensify their attacks on Palestinians. The most far-right government in Israel’s history is ramping up its policing of dissent, using the cover of war to silence Palestinian citizens and left-wing Jews who object to its policies. This escalation has a very clear context, one that +972 has spent the past 14 years covering: Israeli society’s growing racism and militarism, entrenched occupation and apartheid, and a normalized siege on Gaza. We are well positioned to cover this perilous moment – but we need your help to do it. This terrible period will challenge the humanity of all of those working for a better future in this land. Palestinians and Israelis are already organizing and strategizing to put up the fight of their lives. Can we count on your support? +972 Magazine is a leading media voice of this movement, a desperately needed platform where Palestinian and Israeli journalists, activists, and thinkers can report on and analyze what is happening, guided by humanism, equality, and justice. Join us.

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