Minors indicted for alleged ‘pricetag’ arson of Arab school in Haifa

Charges against teens include conspiracy to commit felony, arson, and destroying property with racist motives.

By YONAH JEREMY BOB
Tag Mehir graffiti 370 (photo credit: Iyad Hadad, B'tselem)
Tag Mehir graffiti 370
(photo credit: Iyad Hadad, B'tselem)
A 15-year-old and an 18-year-old were indicted on Tuesday for allegedly setting fire to an Israeli-Arab school in Haifa as part of a racially motivated “price-tag” attack.
The Haifa District Attorney’s Office filed the indictment with the Haifa Juvenile Court and the suspects’ names are under gag order as they were both minors at the time of the arson on June 19.
The charges against them include conspiracy to commit a felony, arson, and destroying property with racist motives.
According to the Justice Ministry’s summary, the classified indictment states that the two targeted the Al-Masar school on Rav Refael Ankava Street in the northern city solely because it serves the Israeli-Arab population.
The two appear to have been influenced and inflamed by the recent kidnapping crisis.
They arrived at the school on June 19 with flammable materials and spray-paint and with their faces covered, broke into the school area and spray-painted “Death to Arabs” and “Price tag,” as well as attacks on Balad MK Haneen Zoabi on the school’s outer wall.
Next, they set fire to various objects in the school yard in order to damage the school structure and area, which was substantially damaged.
The state asked to have the two remanded to police custody until the end of the proceedings.


Related Tags
price tag