Indictment Filed Against Haredi Rioter Over Fires Near Beit Shemesh Police Station
Israel’s State Prosecutor’s Office has filed an indictment in Jerusalem District Court against Yosef Friedman, 46, a Beit Shemesh resident, over violence during a protest near the city’s police station. Prosecutors are also asking the court to keep him in custody until the end of the proceedings.
According to the indictment, filed by attorney Shiral Eldar of the Jerusalem District Prosecutor’s Office, the unrest began after calls were spread to demonstrate near Beit Shemesh police station following the arrest of a yeshiva student who had dodged military service. Hundreds gathered overnight, and the protest escalated into violent rioting.
The indictment says rioters broke open the station gate, attacked police officers, threw objects and stones, caused property damage, and set fire points around the station. Friedman is accused of setting vegetation near the station fence on fire three separate times, at different spots and within short intervals. Each fire burned for only a few seconds before going out.
Police from the Beit Shemesh station in the Jerusalem District investigated the case. Friedman faces three counts of arson and one count of rioting.
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