TA men held for torching Arab homes

Police sources say they view the incident with the utmost severity.

By YAAKOV LAPPIN
Jlem fire 298.88 (photo credit: Channel 10)
Jlem fire 298.88
(photo credit: Channel 10)
Fears that the Arab-Jewish riots in Acre could spread to other parts of the country were strengthened after police said six Jewish youths from Tel Aviv's rundown Tikva neighborhood had planned a campaign of arson attacks against apartments in their area in which Arabs live. Police say they suspect a nationalist motive for the attack. Last Wednesday, police were called to two addresses in the Tikva neighborhood which were targeted by Molotov cocktail attacks. One apartment in which an Arab man resides, suffered light damage as a result. A second Arab home was also targeted, but the Molotov cocktail thrown at the home struck another apartment on the lower floor instead, where a Jewish family lives. That apartment was completely destroyed by the ensuing blaze. No injuries were reported in either incident. Five suspects, aged 17-22, were arrested last week after a lengthy interrogation and statements taken from witnesses in the area. A sixth suspect was later arrested. Police say photographic evidence from the attacks had been obtained during the investigation that showed the youths had planned to firebomb a third Arab home. Police sources say they view the incident with the utmost severity, adding that the suspects should be prosecuted under full force of the law. The Tel Aviv Magistrate's Court extended the custody of Ben Ezra, 22, Aviran Arava, 20, and Yoni Avraham, 19, by three days on Monday, while two other suspects, who are minors, have had their custody extended by four days by the Tel Aviv Youth Magistrate's Court. A custody hearing for a sixth suspect has been postponed. Lawyers for all six suspects denied the charges against the defendants. One of the lawyers challenged the police's claim to having photographic evidence, adding that police merely had photos of bottles. Tzaduk Hugi, one of the lawyers representing the suspects, warned that the arrests did not contribute to efforts to calm tensions between Arabs and Jews following the Acre Yom Kippur riots. Meanwhile, a seventh suspect, 20, arrived on Tuesday night at a police station in Tel Aviv and turned himself in.