Police officially apologized on Tuesday for planting evidence in the home of an Isawiya resident in Jerusalem. Police forces planted an assault rifle in his home ahead of a planned filming of an episode in the reality television program ‘Jerusalem District’ which offers viewers a glimpse into the day-to-day activities meant to ensure the safety of all residents of the Israeli capital. The shooting took place in November and the episode was recently aired.
The episode was removed from the web-page of the Kan show, which claims it is a reality-documentary program.
“We apologize for any harm the civilian endured as a result of the segment being aired,” the police stated as part of its apology, “the issue is being investigated and the necessary lessons will be implemented accordingly.”
Calling the segment “an illustration short” the show’s production company said it was only intended to help the viewers understand the routine work done by the unit. They also stated that the face of the person were airbrushed to ensure his privacy.
In a rare step the man was given a police report stating that nothing was found and the program did not include any footage of his arrest, which would be the usual next step if a concealed weapon would be discovered.
The weapon was a fairly new M-16, unlike most weapons used by Palestinians who are usually improvised.
“If I had a weapon worth 100,000 nis (roughly 30,000 USD),” the man told Haaretz, “do you think I’d keep it in a wet hole in the basement?”
The man was recognized by his neighbors despite his face being airbrushed, which led to the suspicion he might be trading in weapons or in a special relationship with the police as he was never arrested for keeping the weapon, both things are false as he was unaware of the police’s actions.