The Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday morning ordered the release of Burqa suspect Yechiel Indore to house arrest, rejecting the police’s request to extend his detention.

Indore, who was severely injured by Arabs about ten days ago and underwent emergency neurosurgery, was visibly frail as he walked into court, angering many Israelis about the police’s treatment of a still-recovering patient, who after enduring a severe head injury and neurosurgery was released straight into police custody while still weak and suffering from the emotional trauma of almost being killed by an Arab mob.

During the hearing, the police were forced to admit that the pathological report on the Palestinian whom Indor allegedly killed in self-defense during the incident did not include an autopsy. Attorney Avichai Hajabi asked the police investigator: “Was the deceased [Arab] alive or dead when he entered the Palestinian vehicle?” The investigator replied: “I have no indication about that. A doctor did not examine him in the field.”

The statement contradicted the police’s claim at the hearing last week that an autopsy had been carried out. The police representative also admitted that according to the pathological report, the shooting was carried out from several meters away and no bullet was found that could be traced to Indor’s personal weapon.

Following the court’s decision, the police filed an appeal to the Jerusalem District Court against the decision, and a hearing was held hours later, on Tuesday afternoon. In a humiliating blow to the police, the court upheld the ruling of the Magistrate’s Court, releasing Indore from police custody.

Attorney Hajabi said after the hearing: “Today we discovered that the stories of the investigative unit according to which there is a pathological report are not true. The investigative unit cannot know what killed him, at what angle he was killed, and also cannot answer whether Indore’s bullet was the one that killed the Palestinian, and whether it was after he was brutally attacked and his skull was broken. From the beginning, we said that this is a case of a brutal attack by Palestinians on Jewish settlers.”

Attorney Nati Rom said: “We’re seeing today what we expected from the start. It’s not clear why there is such fervor against my clients and davka against the Jews who were attacked, in contrast to the Palestinians, about whom the police say that [their arrests] require coordination and a lot of force, and they don’t carry out the arrests and fail to even once challenge the release of the attackers [the Palestinians were released by the court due to lack of evidence.]. We rue every day that Mr. Indore sat here in detention while he was sick after brain surgery. The claim of self-defense here is clear. We are happy with the decision of the court.”

On Monday, the police and IDF arrested two Palestinians for suspected assault under aggravating circumstances and throwing rocks at Jews. The arrest of additional Palestinian suspects is expected in the near future.

Five Palestinians were previously arrested and interrogated but were released by the court due to a lack of evidence.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)