Prosecutors on Sunday filed indictments against three private security guards in the Arab Israeli city of Kafr Qasim for assaulting police officers earlier this month.
Police arrested four suspects after last weekend’s attack accident in the northern city. Police officers sought to enter Kafr Qasim’s city hall after receiving a report that someone had been violently driven into the building, but was denied entry by security guards. There was a scuffle over this and several policemen were beaten up and blood was shed.
In a statement Sunday morning, state prosecutors said three suspects – Islam Taha, Ali Issa and Hamada Assi – were charged with assaulting an officer, resisting arrest and several other petty crimes related to the incident. There was no mention of the fourth person arrested.
The indictment, filed in the court of the Kafr Sabah magistrate, said all three were part of an organization hired by local leaders to maintain order in the city amid a rise in violent crime in the Arab community.
Prosecutors said after police received reports that the group was responsible for unrest in the city, the suspects barred officers from entering the municipal building, and then attacked officers when they tried to forcibly enter.
In a video of the incident, the policemen can be seen arguing with Taha, who was apparently closing the door of the building during the fight. At one point, one of the officers uses a Taser on him.
Two policemen and a volunteer were injured in police action in Kafr Qasim from Thursday to Friday night. Two suspects were arrested following the encounter, in which dozens of those involved attacked the police. Police have started investigation and many more arrests are expected. Incident documents@ittaishick (Photo: Timely News) pic.twitter.com/Fp5xJM8HGV
— news here (@kann_news) 2 October 2021
Taha, apparently unconcerned, then punched the officer several times in the face, causing him to fall to the ground, as the others, including Issa, scuffled with another cop.
Eighty exited the building shortly after the two officers tried to take Taha into custody, and can be seen attacking the officers, the chargesheet said.
Two officers and a police volunteer required medical treatment after the fight.
In response to the attack on officials, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett last week condemned “violence in Arab society”, which he said had “reached an intolerable point.”
He tweeted, ‘We will fight this with all our might. I hope that the Arab community, which is asking the state to intervene, will give full support and support to the police officers.”
The incident came as police tried to tackle a growing wave of violent crime in the Arab community.
was a 24 year old man killed by stray bullet At his home in the northern village of Ilut on Saturday evening, the 97th death of violence in Arab society this year.
