Exclusive footage shows riot and arson attempt at Beit Shemesh police station

Exclusive security-camera footage shows hundreds of ultra-Orthodox extremists storming the police station in Beit Shemesh about a week ago during a protest against the arrest of draft evaders. The images show rioters breaking into the station grounds, trying to damage property and confront officers, while shouting at one policeman, “Murderer, murderer.”

In the footage, one rioter is seen attempting to set a fire inside the compound, and the flames came close to the station building itself. The incident caused property damage, according to the report.

The clip was aired Thursday night on “The Main Edition.” Tzach, or Brig. Gen. Shlomi Bachar, commander of the Zion District in the Jerusalem Police District, said police know how to work with the broader ultra-Orthodox public, but must deal differently with extremists. He said this includes “aggressive arrests” and other measures, adding that the Haredi community cannot be treated as a single bloc and that many Haredi officers serve in his district as patrol officers and investigators.

Police arrested eight suspects the night of the break-in, but a court released them for lack of evidence. Three more suspects were arrested this week on suspicion of entering the station, setting a fire and damaging property, and detention for two of them was extended. Jerusalem District Commander Maj. Gen. Avshalom Peled said police would reach anyone who committed criminal offenses during the unrest, even those who thought they could hide their identity in the crowd. Their lawyer, Roy Politi, said the suspects were arrested “in a cynical manner” and without connection to the offenses at the scene, and were all released the next day.