Shocking footage shows Israeli police savagely beating teenage cousin of Palestinian boy, 15, burned alive in revenge attack over death of three Jewish youths



Mohammed Abu Khder, 16, abducted and burned to death on Wednesday

Autopsy shows he inhaled smoke, meaning he was alive when set on fire

Now his 15-year-old cousin, Tariq Abu Khder has been beaten by police

Footage has emerged seeming to show officers kicking him in the head while he is on the ground before dragging his semi-conscious body away

Was protesting cousin's death at the time and police say he resisted arrest

Death of Abu Khder has sparked days of protests by Arab Israelis

Believed he was killed in revenge for deaths of three Israeli teenagers



The 15-year-old cousin of a Palestinian boy who was burned to death in Israel has been badly beaten and arrested while protesting about his relative's death.

Mohammed Abu Khder, 16, was burned to death in a suspected attack by Israeli extremists in revenge for the killing of three Jewish teenagers abducted in the West Bank recently.

Now family members say Abu Khder's cousin Tariq Abu Khder, 15, has been badly beaten by Israeli police while being arrested during a protest sparked by Abu Khder's death.

Footage has emerged on social media showing border guards savagely beating a youth, thought to be Tariq, before dragging his semi-conscious body away.

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Tariq's family have been told the 15-year-old was arrested for wearing a mask. Police claimed he had a slingshot to hurl rocks at police, was violent and resisted arrest

Footage has emerged seeming to show Israeli police savagely beating 15-year-old Tariq Abu Khder, the cousin of Mohammed Abu Khder was was burned to death this week

The video shows uniformed officers punching a boy on the ground before kicking him in the head and then dragging his semi-conscious body away

Meanwhile an autopsy on Abu Khder's body has shown smoke was inhaled into his lungs, suggesting that the teen was still alive and breathing while he was being burned.

Palestinian news agency Maan quoted Attorney General Mohammed Aluweiwi Saturday as saying the initial findings of a post-mortem indicated the presence of smoke in the boy's lungs.



Abu Khder also suffered a head wound, but that did not cause his death, Aluweiwi added. Israeli police said Saturday they still could not confirm the motive for his murder.

Abu Khder's cousin Tariq is a US citizen who studies in Florida and was on vacation in east Jerusalem at the time of the killing.





Tariq is a US citizen who studies in Florida and was on vacation in east Jerusalem at the time of the attack. The US consulate has not yet responded to news of his arrest

Triq's parents say they have seen their son in hospital and were told he was arrested for being masked. A police spokesman said a slingshot was found on him used for hurling rocks at officer.

The spokesman added that Tariq had been violent and resisted arrest, saying that six police were also hurt during the protests.

Abu Khder was abducted from his Shuafat neighbourhood in occupied east Jerusalem early Wednesday and his charred body found not long after in a west Jerusalem forest.

The killing has sparked days of angry and often violent protests across the country. Clashes fuelled by anger over the case have spread into Arab Israeli towns.

Post-mortem tests on the body of Mohammed Abu Khder, 16, showed they boy inhaled smoke - meaning he was alive while he was being burned to death

Tensions also remained high on Israel's reinforced southern border with the Gaza Strip.

Gaza militants fired at least 10 rockets at Israel, injuring a soldier lightly and causing some damage to infrastructure, the military said.



It said it had launched several airstrikes in Gaza overnight against sites used by the militant group Hamas.



Israeli leaders have widely condemned the killing of the Palestinian youth, and prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed those responsible would be brought to justice.



Palestinians took to the streets in protests after news of the boy's death on Wednesday and clashed with police in east Jerusalem.



Riots erupted in east Jerusalem yesterday as thousands of Palestinians massed for the boy's burial.



The violence spread to Arab towns in northern Israel early today, with protesters throwing rocks at passing cars, burning tyres and lobbing rocks and firebombs at police, who responded with tear gas and stun grenades, Israeli police spokeswoman Luba Samri said.

Near the town of Qalansawe, protesters also pulled over a car driven by an Israeli Jew, pulled him out and set the vehicle on fire, Ms Samri said. The driver was not injured.



More than 20 people were arrested before the unrest subsided in the afternoon, she said.

Abu Khder's death has sparked days of violent protests in Israel, with Gaza militants firing ten missiles at Israelis

Riots erupted in east Jerusalem yesterday as thousands of Palestinians massed for the boy's burial

Israeli Arabs, unlike Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, hold citizenship rights. But they often face discrimination and mostly identify with the Palestinians.



Palestinian protesters in Jerusalem also used an electric saw to damage the light rail that connects the heavily Arab populated eastern sector of the city with the mostly Jewish West, Ms Samri said.



The chaos began after three Israeli teenagers, one of whom was a US citizen, were abducted in the West Bank on June 12, sparking a huge manhunt that ended with the gruesome discovery of their bodies earlier this week.







