Police arrest east Jerusalem Arab teen for Internet incitement

Suspect used Instagram account to post violent videos and images to encourage terror attacks against Jews.

By DANIEL K. EISENBUD
Updated: JUNE 7, 2017 00:33
Palestinians stone throwing youths clash with Israeli troops (photo credit: REUTERS)
Palestinians stone throwing youths clash with Israeli troops
(photo credit: REUTERS)
A 19-year-old male Arab resident of east Jerusalem was arrested on Tuesday for Internet incitement to terrorism following an undercover police investigation.
According to police, the unidentified suspect used his Instagram account to post violent images and videos calling on followers to carry out attacks against Jews.
“The police and investigation teams continue to operate in all areas to track and find suspects who are involved in incitement to terrorism and causing a public threat,” police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said, noting that a Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court judge remanded the teen until June 11 amid an ongoing investigation.
The police have made dozens of arrests for Internet incitement since the so-called “stabbing intifada,” which engulfed the capital and was largely driven by incendiary social media posts by Arab extremists.
To combat the growing phenomenon, the police have created a special cyber unit to monitor potentially dangerous online activity via social media accounts.
“The police cyber unit works exclusively to identify Internet incitement and will continue to carry out arrests against suspects using the Internet to incite terror,” said Rosenfeld.
Last October, the Israeli delegation to the Inter-Parliamentary Union submitted an emergency resolution at the IPU Assembly in Geneva calling for all member nations to unite against online incitement to terrorism.
MK Sharren Haskel (Likud) and delegation leader MK Nachman Shai (Zionist Union) called for fellow parliamentarians from around the world to fight the use of the Internet as a recruiting tool for terrorist organizations.