Indictment Filed Over Fires and Riot Near Beit Shemesh Police Station

Israeli prosecutors have filed an indictment against Yosef Friedman, 46, of Beit Shemesh, accusing him of setting vegetation on fire three times near the Beit Shemesh police station during a violent riot tied to protests over the arrest of a yeshiva student. The State Attorney’s Office also asked the Jerusalem District Court to keep him in custody until the end of proceedings.

According to the indictment, submitted Monday by attorney Shiral Eldar of the Jerusalem District Prosecutor’s Office, the unrest began after the arrest of a yeshiva student who had failed to report for military service. Calls went out to gather for a demonstration near the station, and overnight hundreds of protesters assembled there. The protest then escalated into violence.

During the riot, the station gate was breached, police officers were attacked, objects and stones were thrown, property was damaged, and fires were lit around the station. Prosecutors say Friedman set fire to vegetation near the station fence on three separate occasions at different spots and within short intervals. Each fire burned for only a few seconds before going out.

The investigation was handled by the Beit Shemesh station in the Jerusalem District Police. Friedman is charged with three counts of arson and one count of rioting.