Ali Shaheen, 36, a Palestinian from Dahariya near Hebron who was in Israel illegally, is suspected of attacking a woman in her 20s on a street in Azor. Police say he is being investigated for an indecent act by force, and the Tel Aviv Magistrate’s Court extended his detention on Friday morning by four days.
According to security footage and video circulated on social media, the suspect followed the woman, approached her from behind, threw her to the ground and then fled after she screamed. The woman later went to police to give testimony. Investigators from the Holon station, together with other police districts, located Shaheen and arrested him at home.
At the hearing, the police representative said there was reasonable suspicion for an indecent act using force and illegal entry into Israel. She said the entire incident was recorded and asked for a five-day extension to continue investigative steps. She also said Shaheen had claimed he was carrying a SIM card, but police found only cigarettes and no SIM.
Defense lawyer Ramzi Skies said his client has no criminal record and offered a different account. He said Shaheen did not deny contact with the woman, but claimed his phone broke on the way to Israel and he only asked to use her phone to call his brother. Skies also raised concerns about Shaheen’s mental state, saying he appeared to have a psychiatric issue and to have taken medication for years, and asked for a psychiatric evaluation if detention continues. He also suggested sending him to the Palestinian Authority rather than keeping him in Israeli custody. Judge Chen Meirovitz said she reviewed the evidence and video and found reasonable suspicion tying Shaheen to the alleged offenses, noting he can be clearly identified in the footage and poses a danger, but she granted only a partial extension, ordering four more days in custody.
