Police arrested three Jaffa residents last month on suspicion of attempted murder and arson with a nationalist motive after allegedly throwing Molotov cocktails at Jewish residences in the Ajami neighborhood and mistakenly hitting the Gintazi residence, seriously injuring 12-year-old Muhammad and lightly injuring his 10-year-old sister, the Tel Aviv Magistrate's Court reported after a request by Walla News.
The man who allegedly threw the firebomb lives in Jaffa, but not in the Ajami neighborhood, where the two other suspects - who are brothers - live close by to the Gintazi family and know them well.
According to the investigation, since he did not know the family, the place was not lit and there were no candles in the house for Ramadan, the suspect mistook the Gintazi house for a Jewish residence. At this point, the suspects fled the scene and hid with a relative.
The investigation reportedly revealed that the suspects were equipped with a large number of Molotov cocktails and began throwing them at windows and courtyards of houses on the neighborhood.
A search of the suspects' residences turned up a submachine gun and multiple pistols. Police said they had investigated allegations of a real estate dispute between the suspects' family and the Gintazi family and found that there was no connection between the two.
Regarding the nationalist background of the acts, the police reportedly found photos and phone messages of a nationalist nature on the phones of the suspects.
The DNA of one of the brothers was found on bottles in two locations who Molotov cocktails were thrown that evening, including the Gintazi residence. In his investigation, he claimed others may have taken an old beer bottle of his, or perhaps stolen a piece of clothing from his laundry line.The second brother was reportedly hospitalized for three days after the interrogation, with the hospital reporting that bruises were found on his body, Haaretz reported.
His lawyer, Ahmad Younes, claimed that he had not been informed about his client's hospitalization and that the Shin Bet had not agreed to inform him where his client was.
"They blindfolded him. He did not even know where he was or who the investigator who gave him the beatings was," Younes said. "These are shocking acts that go against all the rules. This is a predatory violation of the suspect's rights."
The suspect who was hospitalized claimed to his lawyer that he had been questioned by a large number of interrogators in a way that did not allow him to know who was interrogating him, and thus - he said - forcing a confession out of him. The Shin Bet has denied the allegations.
Haaretz reported that according to a police official, he was hospitalized due to a medical problem, unrelated to his interrogation.
All three deny the charges which have been brought against them.The incident occurred during nationwide riots which gripped the country's mixed Jewish-Arab cities last month during Operation Guardian of the Walls.