The 21-year-old Palestinian man arrested for allegedly subjecting a young couple
to a horrific three-hour rape ordeal denied having carried out any sexual
offenses, during a court hearing on Tuesday.
The suspect, who cannot be
named due to a media ban, told the Tel Aviv Magistrate’s Court through an Arabic
interpreter that he had stolen the couple’s phones, but he denied having been in
possession of a knife and said he had not committed rape.
Police brought
him and four additional Palestinians – all in the country illegally – to court
after a night of questioning.
During his interrogation, the suspect told
police that his family, from the Nablus area in the West Bank, had thrown him
out of the house before he arrived in the country illegally.
The police
representative to the court said the suspect worked in various Tel Aviv
restaurant kitchens and stayed at homes in north Tel Aviv.
Detectives had
been aware of his identity since Sunday, one day before making the arrest near
the scene of the crime at the Gan Ha’ir parking lot in central Tel Aviv. During
the arrest, the suspect attacked police, biting an officer and trying to assault
another, police said.
During the court session, police said the suspect
had randomly met the couple and brandished a knife, leading them to a bathroom
and ordering them to perform sexual acts with one another. He then raped the
girl and tried to rape the man.
The court said it was convinced by the
evidence that the suspect was linked to the crime, adding that he posed a
serious threat to public safety.
The court extended his custody by nine
days.
Police said there were many additional steps to take in the
investigation.
On Monday, a police source said the suspect had been
caught via “classic police” investigation techniques.
“He knows north Tel
Aviv very well. He knows the streets. He’s been here for a while. He carried out
irregular jobs periodically,” police added.
Police are also checking to
see whether the suspect committed additional offenses.