Israeli teenager suspected of murder of Sudanese refugee

The victim, Babiker Abdo Adam Ali, 38, was found badly beaten with a sharp object in Petah Tikva on November 14.

By ELIYAHU KAMISHER
Updated: NOVEMBER 21, 2016 23:39
Ambulance (illustrative) (photo credit: REUTERS)
Ambulance (illustrative)
(photo credit: REUTERS)
A Sudanese man died on Sunday after suffering serious head injuries from an attack last Monday.
Police arrested a 16-yearold suspect shortly after the attack and extended his remand on Sunday until Tuesday.
The victim, Babiker Abdo Adam Ali, 38, was found badly beaten with a sharp object in Petah Tikva on November 14. The circumstances and motivations of the murder are unclear. Police are searching for additional suspects in the vicious attack and have declined to provide any details on a motivation.
Ali’s brother, Musa, says the murder was racially motivated.
“There are groups of people that walk around looking to attack people. He was attacked on his way home from work,” he told The Jerusalem Post.
The family’s lawyer, Yehuda Tzadok, said people called the police, saying they saw a guy from Sudan being beaten very bad. “He was drunk and people came over with something in their hands and beat him so bad,” he said.
The teenage suspect’s lawyer, Avi Cohen, told the Post his client was involved in the case but denied any claims of murder.
“This is not a murder,” he said. “I’m not sure of all the details, but I expect in the coming days and weeks for there to be more additional suspects. He is cooperating with the police and gave his version of the events.”
Doctors pronounced Ali brain-dead the day of the attack at the Rabin Medical Center - Beilinson Campus in Petah Tikva, however, he was kept on life support until Sunday.
Hebrew media reports said Musa Ali had given consent to pull his brother’s life support.
“How could this happen I don’t know. I never signed anything,” he said, upset over the incident.
However, a spokeswoman for the Beilinson Campus said there was no decision to take away the victim’s life support, instead she said he died after receiving life support for a week.
Tzadok paralleled Ali’s account. “When I saw [the victim] on Thursday he was okay, he was breathing through the machine after the operation,” he said. “I told [Musa Ali], ‘Don’t sign for any documents before I see what you are signing.’” According to Israeli law, a hospital cannot disconnect life support of a foreign national without the permission of a relative.
A police spokesman declined to comment on the investigation and the complaints of the victim’s family.
This stabbing comes as a 41-year-old man was stabbed Sunday in Petah Tikva while riding a bike and another 27-year-old man was killed after being stabbed outside a Petah Tikva bar on Friday.