Indictment: "afraid to stab a soldier, attacked orthodox instead"

Cleared for publication: minorities unit at the central unit of the General Security Service arrested two residents from Isawiya, admitted involvement in the injury of Moshe Menachem Limuei, a 33-year-old Jerusalem resident and married with four children. He suffered stab wounds in the chest, waist and hand.

Jerusalem District Attorney by Attorney Geula Cohen, filed shortly before the District Court an indictment against Sultan Abu Hummus and Mahmud Rajabi, Isawiya residents, aged 19 and 18, in respect of their involvement in the stabbing incident that took place on the night of Tisha B'Av at the Damascus Gate.

According to the indictment, Abu Hummus charged with attempted murder and obstruction of justice and Rajabi is charged with aggravated assault.

Investigation of the incident revealed that the stabbed and his friend finished the prayer at the Western Wall and went down the ravine to the Damascus Gate. When they arrived they were attacked, and as mentioned, one of them was stabbed mildly to moderately.

At the conclusion of a joint investigation minority department of the Central and General Security Service said indictments were filed against them for aiding murder.

The indictment

According to the indictment, on 07/15/13 riots occurred near the Damascus Gate in Jerusalem. During the riot Sultan (Rabah) Abu Hummus passed, and at one point photographed the event and then bent towards the ground and raised the suspicion of security forces that he picks up a stone. Subsequently he was detained and released after some time.

The next day on 07/16/13, which fell this year on Tisha B'Av afternoon, after hearing about the incident from Sultan, one of his friends decided to get to the Damascus Gate in Jerusalem together with others to murder Jews there on the way. To do so he armed himself with a knife and carried it on his hip.

He contacted three other defendants, and arranged to meet them near the supermarket "Snavil" in Isawiya.

At around 20:00 defendants met with their friends and it was suggested that they were to drive together to Jerusalem to strike a Jew. Six conspired to harm the Jews in Damascus Gate. In a conversation with Sultan his friend told him that he intended to stab a Jew near the Damascus Gate.

The six went together to Jerusalem by taxi, on the way he noticed that his friend Mahmoud was carrying a knife and realized that the attack will be using the knife.

Upon arriving in Damascus Gate they sat on the stairs and then the pair separated from the group and sought to attack the victim. They saw policemen and soldiers, but Sultan feared that if they stab a soldier a policeman would shoot them.

At around 8:45, close to the inside of the Damascus Gate the two noticed Moshe Limuei, Yitzchak Mishaeli and Chananel Mishaeli, three orthodox looking passer bys walking towards the gate.

At this point the accused saw again the complainant and two of whom are going to the Sultan Suleiman Street. The friend asked Mahmoud Rajabi to go up towards the traffic lights to observe and warn, if security forces will come to the area and Sultan joined him intentionally to kill a Jew.

Thereupon the friend attacked Moshe Limeui and tried to stab him in the neck, and stabbed him multiple times in the upper body in intent to kill him. Limuei tried to defend himself and as a result one of the stabbings injured his hand.

At this point Sultan pushed Limuei to prevent him from catching the friend; the two joined Mahmoud Rajabi and fled from the scene.

The defendants took a taxi to Isawiya and asked the driver to drive immediately whilst assuring him a fee for all vacant places. When they arrived at Isawiya, at about 23:00, Sultan changed his clothes and took them to one of his sisters who live in a separate house to make it harder in finding his clothes.

Immediately after, the two went for a haircut, with the intention to change their appearance and make it harder for locating and identification of the perpetrators of stabbing.

As a result of the attack the kollel student suffered stab wounds in his chest, waist and forearm. His injury caused him nerve damage.

Actions described above, attempted to cause the death of Limuei illegally, Mahmoud Rajabi made together with another aggravated assault to the complainant and Sultan made various acts to obstruct a criminal investigation intentionally disrupting a police investigation.

Sultan (Rabah) Abu Hummus was charged with attempted murder and obstruction of justice. Mahmoud (Sahdi) Rajabi was charged with aggravated assault.

'בחדרי' גם ברשתות החברתיות - הצטרפו!