Relatives of 16-year-old Mohammed Abu Khdeir, who was murdered by a Jewish extremist in Jerusalem two years ago in what he claimed to be an act of vengance for Jewish blood, were indicted for a number of crimes including hurling Molotov Cocktails and rocks and even for posession of a firearm.

Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter



On Monday, Ynet learned that the police and the Shin Bet believed, according to an investigation, that Nasser (18) and Mohammed Abu Khdeir (20) intended, along with a number of other suspects, to carry out a large terror attack on Jerusalem’s light rail station on the anniversary of Khdeir’s murder to avenge his death.

Arrest of Mohammed Abu Khdeir's cousins (צילום : חטיבת דובר המשטרה)

X

The investigation lead to their arrest and other suspects close to the victim from Shuafat. Some of them are already known to the police for previous offences.

More than a month ago, intelligence information was received from various sources indicating that the relatives of Khdeir had established contact with other people to perpetrate a “quality attack” on the Jerusalem light rail.

Mohammed Abu Khdeir was murdered in 2014 (Photo: Reuters)

The arrested suspects remained silent at the beginning of the investigation and refused to cooperate with the security services. However, three weeks later they confessed to a number of crimes including the hurling of rocks and Molotov cocktails at the police and the Jerusalem light rail.

During the investigation it became clear that they were not affiliated with any terror organization or implicated in any nationally-related crimes prior to these offences. They claimed, however, that the situation changed after the murder of their relative and said they wanted to avenge his death. It was the murder, the police informed, that was the primary trigger for the planned attack.

Jerusalem light rail (Photo: EPA)

According to the information received by the police the suspects were in possession of a Carlo gun which they had already fired in the past in residential areas in preparation for the attack.

The light rail was chosen as the target since it is thought to be, among national extremists, a symbol of the Israeli “regime” in East Jerusalem.

The details of the operation to arrest Khdeir’s relatives and other suspects were placed under a gag order in order to avoid disruptions in the investigation and the prevent any possible planned attack being carried out.

According to the law, suspects can be arrested for security-related crimes for 35 days before being officially charged unless approval for an extension is granted by the state attorney general. By the end of the arrest period, a plethora of evidence had been compiled which sufficed to bring the suspects to trial.

In light of the evidence gathered, official indictments were issued against them on Sunday which allowed for their continued custody until the conclusion of the procedures. Other suspects are currently being investigated in order to issue more indictments in the case.

The defense lawyer of the suspects, Mohammed Mohammed, said that he was privy to information pertaining to the investigation. However, the accused categorically deny the charges leveled against them.