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

Mohammed Abu Khder, 16, was kidnapped and found murdered Wednesday

Autopsy results show he was burned to death



Tensions running high between Israel and Palestine after two days of violence

Thousands of police deployed in east Jerusalem in order to 'keep security'

Mohammed's cousin, Tariq Khdeir, 16, a US citizen who lives in Tampa, says he was beaten and arrested by police

Video of the incident has surfaced but police say they have not verified the person in it is Tariq

'Profoundly troubled' U.S. officials calling for full investigation



The 15-year-old American cousin of a Palestinian teen who was abducted and killed in Jerusalem was beaten and jailed by Israeli police in what relatives say was 'attempted murder'.



Tariq Khdeir, a student at the Universal Academy of Florida, an Islamic school in Tampa, is the cousin of Mohammed Abu Khdeir, who it is claimed was burnt to death by Israeli extremists in a revenge attack on Wednesday.



Tariq's parents, Suha and Salah, told the Associated Press that their son was beaten by police during clashes on Thursday ahead of the funeral and that he was detained.



An Israeli police spokeswoman said that Tariq Abu Khdeir had resisted arrest and attacked police officers.

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The mother of 15-year-old Tariq Abu Khdeir, a U.S. citizen who goes to school in Tampa, Florida, shows an undated photo of him on a digital photo album at their home in Jerusalem, Saturday, July 5, 2014

This photo of Tariq was taken in a hospital after he was beaten and arrested by the Israeli police during clashes sparked by the murder Thursday of his cousin Mohammed Abu Khdeir, in Jerusalem, Saturday, July 5, 2014

Suha Abu Khdeir, mother of 15-year-old Tariq Abu Khdeir, a U.S. citizen who goes to school in Tampa, Florida, sits in her home and shows a tablet with a photo of Tariq taken in a hospital after he was beaten and arrested by the Israeli police Slain: Mohammed Abu Khder, 16, was kidnapped and found dead on Wednesday. His mother Suha (right) followed her son's body as it was taken through crowds to a burial site

'Profoundly troubled' U.S. officials have been quick to condemn the attack, calling for a full investigation and saying that it 'strongly condemns any excessive use of force,' SPS reports.

'We are calling for a speedy, transparent and credible investigation and full accountability for any excessive use of force,' State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said in a statement.

He was detained with a slingshot in his possession used to hurl stones at police, along with six other protesters, including some armed with knives, she said, adding that several officers were hurt in that specific protest, one of many that day.



Tariq's father said he witnessed his son's arrest and insisted the boy was not involved in the violence.



His mother, Suha Abu Khdeir, said she did recognize her son afer the attack.



'I couldn't believe it,' she told ABC News.



'When I finally looked over at hime, it was a feeling that I've never felt before in my life.'



A video has surfaced purportedly showing Tariq being beaten.



Police say he was part of a gang of masked youths and that they can't be sure the person in the video is Tariq.

'This is a video edited and biased that does not represent the events,' police spokesperson Micky Rosenfeld said.



'Obviously incidents took place before or after that the suspects were involved in.'



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

The incident was part of many protests that have followed the murder of Tariq's cousin Muhammad.



Family say the teen was abducted by right-wing Israeli Jews seeking revenge for the murder of three Israeli teens kidnapped last month in the West Bank.

Palestinian Attorney General Abdelghani al-Owaiwi said initial results show that 16-year-old Palestinian Mohammed Abu Khdeir, whose death Wednesday had sparked large protests in his east Jerusalem neighborhood, suffered burns on '90 percent of his body'.

'The results show he was breathing while on fire and died from burns and their consequences,' al-Owaiwi said.

Grief stricken: Thousands of people chanting and waving Palestinian flags greeted the body partially wrapped in a traditional headscarf as it arrived by ambulance at a mosque before burial. Mourners carried the body on a stretcher through the thick crowd

Outrage: News of his death prompted outrage in his east Jerusalem neighbourhood of Shuafat Outpouring: The boy's body was transferred to an open casket as it was paraded through the streets Israeli police clashed with hundreds of Palestinian protesters in the Jerusalem neighbourhood where Muhammed lived. He was buried in east Jerusalem after the midday prayers, with tensions running high after two straight days of violence.

Thousands of people chanting and waving Palestinian flags greeted the body partially wrapped in a traditional headscarf as it arrived by ambulance at a mosque before burial. Mourners carried the body on a stretcher through the thick crowd. It comes as CCTV footage allegedly showing the teen being approached by a group of men as he sat outside a shop near his home before being bundled into a car was released by his family. RELATED ARTICLES Previous

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Next Thousands gather at funeral of Palestinian boy killed in... Pictured in a U.S. Army uniform: Teen nurse's aide who was... Share this article Share Police had earlier beefed up security in and around Jerusalem. Extra precautions were taken as the funeral coincides with the first Friday prayer services of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan. Police clashed with hundreds of Palestinians in Ras al-Amud and Wadi Joz in the eastern sector of the city. The day had been calm before Friday prayers, police said, following two days of protests since the boy's death. The burned body of 16-year-old Mohammed Abu Khdeir was found on Wednesday in a forest after he was seized near his home in east Jerusalem. News of his death prompted outrage in his east Jerusalem neighbourhood of Shuafat. Protesters clashed with police for two days, throwing rocks and firebombs while security forces responded with tear gas and stun grenades. Violent: Clashes broke out between Israeli police and Palestinian youths during the noon Ramadan prayer in Ras Al Amud neighbourhood ahead of the boy's funeral ceremony Fighting stones with grenades: Meanwhile, violent protests over the killing spread through East Jerusalem that saw rioters throw stones at police (right), who returned fire with stun grenades (left)

Defiant: A masked mourner holds the national flag in front of a giant poster of Mohammed Abu Khder during his funeral Fury: A female Hamas supporter holds up a rifle during a protest against the kidnapping and killing on the Gaza Strip Anger: Thousands of flag-waving Palestinians, some firing weapons into the air, took part in the emotionally-charged east Jerusalem funeral of a Palestinian teenager, Mohammed Abu Khder, 16, believed murdered by Israelis











Violence: Angry young Palestinians clash with Israeli police following the murder of Arab teenager Mohammed Abu Khdair, in what is being investigated as a revenge attack for the death of three Jewish schoolboys

Abu Khdeir's family set up a large tent outside the home for those seeking to pay condolences and distributed posters mourning his death.

The boy's father, Hussein, said doctors had completed an autopsy, and the family was expecting to receive the body after prayers.

Palestinians have accused Israeli extremists for the killing, saying it was a revenge attack for three Israeli teens that were recently abducted and killed in the West Bank.

Beefed up security: Police had earlier beefed up security in and around Jerusalem. Extra precautions were taken as the funeral coincides with the first Friday prayer services of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan High alert: A Palestinian woman makes her way through the Qalandia checkpoint between Ramallah and Jerusalem, in the occupied West Bank, to reach the al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem's Old City for traditional Friday prayers Tightened security: Security in the West Bank was heightened amid fears of reprisal attacks Flare up: Israeli commanders meanwhile waited to see if a series of statements by Israeli leaders promising to 'meet quiet with quiet' would bring a halt to the latest flare-up of violence on the Gaza border Violence: Angry young Palestinians clash with Israeli police following the murder of Arab teenager Mohammed Abu Khdair, in what is being investigated as a revenge attack for the death of three Jewish schoolboys

Grief: Relatives of Mohammed Abu Khudair mourn in Shuafat - an Arab suburb of Jerusalem - following the discovery of his beaten and charred body body in nearby woodland yesterday

Israeli police said an investigation was ongoing and the motives remained unclear.

It comes amid media reports of a possible truce in the making after Hamas allegedly offered to halt its rocket attacks if Israel stops its air raids on the Gaza Strip, a cat-and-mouse game that has rumbled on for two weeks.

ISRAEL'S ARMY DELETES TWEETS WARNING OF NUCLEAR LEAK AFTER SYRIANS 'HACK' ITS TWITTER FEED

The official Twitter feed of the Israeli Defense Force issued a warning of a possible nuclear leak yesterday - before it claimed it had been hacked by Syrian activists. The Tweet, which warned of a leak at the country's research reactor near Dimona, Southern Israel, was soon deleted while officials reported a security breach and apologised. The tweet read: 'Possible nuclear leak in the region after 2 rockets hit Dimona nuclear facility.' The Syrian Electronic Army (SEA) has apparently claimed responsibility for the hack, tweeting 'Long live Palestine!' via the same account. On their own account, the SEA said it had hacked 'the whole "Israeli army" propaganda'. The IDF issued an apology today after deleting the tweets. 'We apologize for the incorrect tweets Our twitter account was compromised,' it said. 'We will combat terror on all fronts including the cyber dimension.'



A source with the Palestinian militant group told the BBC that Egyptian intelligence officials had made 'intensive contacts' with its leaders and 'succeeded in reaching a new truce between Hamas and Israel, and that the ceasefire agreement was to be announced within hours'.

Israel did not comment on the claims, but the killing has been widely condemned by its leaders.

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu tried to calm the situation, condemning Abu Khdeir's killing and vowing to find the attackers.

'We don't know yet the motives or the identities of the perpetrators, but we will. We will bring to justice the criminals responsible for this despicable crime whoever they may be,' Netanyahu said in a speech celebrating US Independence Day at the American Embassy in Tel Aviv. 'Murder, riots, incitement, vigilantism, they have no place in our democracy.'

Meanwhile, CCTV footage allegedly showing Mohammed Abu Khder's kidnap in broad daylight from outside a cafe has emerged.

The grainy black-and-white video - filmed from a shop's camera across the street - appears to show the 16-year-old sitting outside a shop when a light-coloured car drives past.



It then reverses up the street and out of frame before two men approach the boy. They appear to have a conversation before a struggle ensues, the car returns and the boy is bundled inside. It then drives off.

Protests broke out in a few areas after Muslim prayers, police said. Hundreds of Palestinians threw rocks at police who responded with stun grenades, police said.

There were also disturbances at the most sensitive holy site in Jerusalem when some Palestinians threw rocks there after prayers. There were no immediate reports of injuries.

The hilltop compound is revered by Jews as the Temple Mount, where the two biblical Jewish Temples stood. It is sacred to Muslims as the Haram as-Sharif, or Noble Sanctuary, marking the place where they believe the Prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven.

On the main road in Shuafat, streets and light rail tracks remained covered in charred debris, rocks and large garbage cans.

Already tense Israeli-Palestinian relations increased after three Israeli teenagers, one of which had American citizenship, were abducted in the West Bank on June 12, sparking a massive manhunt that ended with the discovery of their bodies early this week.

Conflict: Light bombs are seen following an Israel airstrike over Gaza City in the early hours of this morning. The raids are in response to rockets fired from the area - one of which struck a house in southern Israel

Many believe he was killed in revenge for the abduction and murder in the occupied West Bank last month of three Israeli teenagers, Naftali Frenkel (left), 16, Gilad Shaar (centre), 16, and Eyal Yifrah (right) , 19, whose bodies were found on Monday

Israel blamed Hamas for the abductions. Hamas, which has abducted Israelis before, praised the kidnapping of the teens but did not take responsibility for it.

Israel launched a massive crackdown on the Islamic militant group in the West Bank after the disappearance.

Rocket attacks from the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip on Israel intensified and drew Israeli airstrikes.

The military says Palestinian militants have fired some 140 rockets at southern Israel in recent weeks. The air force responded with airstrikes on about 70 targets in Gaza, the military said.

The border area was calmer on Friday morning but attacks from Gaza continued. Palestinian militants fired at least 6 rockets and mortars at Israel, two of which exploded prematurely inside Gaza, the military said.



