Police have launched an investigation into a West Bank mosque arson attack on Tuesday. Palestinians from the village of al-Muayar, near Ramallah reported that a carpet in the mosque was set fire in the early hour of the morning. "A joint police IDF investigation was launched.
"We believe suspects set fire to a tire inside the mosque," police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said.
RELATED:Reform Jewish synagogue vandalized in Ra'anana for third timeCity front: Muslims and Jews meet over mosque grafittiThe attackers daubed the walls with the words "price tag", Rosenfeld
said, a phrase right-wing settlers have adopted to signal retribution for
any Israeli moves against settlement-outposts built without government
authorization.
However, "no fire damage was observed on the walls," he added. A police forensics team arrived on the scene and began taking evidence.
The words "Alei Ayin," the name of a settlement outpost which was evacuated by security
forces last week, were also scrawled on the walls. The evacuation of Alei Ayin sparked a clash resulting in several injuries
among right-wing activists and police.
Police suspect the arson incident could be linked to last week's outpost clearance.