Three Jewish residents of the Givat Olga neighborhood of Hadera were arrested by the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) and Israel Police in recent weeks after they threw Molotov cocktails at an Israeli Arab who was at the beach in the neighborhood, they both announced on Wednesday.
In the weeks leading up to the attack, a number of incidents involving verbal and physical clashes were reported between Jewish and Arab visitors at the beach in Givat Olga.
What happened on the beach three weeks ago?
In mid-June, a 28-year-old Israeli Arab resident of Mu'awiya was sitting on the beach with his girlfriend when he was approached by the three suspected terrorists. The suspects asked him what the time was in Arabic and after he responded in Arabic they threw three Molotov cocktails at him which ended up not igniting. The Israeli Arab man and his girlfriend were not injured in the terrorist attack.
The three suspects, between the ages of 19 and 25, were arrested after an investigation by the Shin Bet and Israel Police earlier this month. They revealed during questioning that the background of the incident was nationalist.
An indictment will be issued against the suspects on Thursday, along with a request to extend their arrest until the end of the proceedings.
"The Shin Bet and Israel Police will continue to work to thwart terrorist activity of any kind, in order to maintain the security of all residents of the State of Israel. This is of great importance in maintaining the common fabric of life throughout the country," they said.