Police detain head of mosque that was targeted in "price tag" attack for allegedly calling on followers to attack vandals.
By YAAKOV LAPPINBurned Tuba Zanghariya mosque 311(photo credit: Ben Hartman)
Police last week arrested a cleric who heads a mosque in the Galilee village of Tuba Zanghariya on suspicion of incitement to violence, a spokesman said on Sunday.The mosque was targeted last month by vandals who set fire to the building and left behind far-right hate graffiti. The incident touched off a night of major rioting in the Beduin village, which was eventually quelled by police and local leaders who called for calm.RELATED:‘88% of Jewish Israelis oppose price tag attacks’Jerusalem ‘price tag’ suspect arrestedFuad Zanghariya was arrested on Thursday on suspicion of calling on followers to attack those behind the arson during Friday sermons.“I can confirm that he is being questioned over suspicions of incitement, and that the investigation is continuing,” police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld told The Jerusalem Post.The Nazareth Magistrate’s Court released Zanghariya on Sunday to house arrest for a period of 15 days.Zanghariya is also suspected of being involved in a shooting attack on the home of a former council head due to a feud.In recent weeks, police arrested three Israeli youths – two from the West Bank – on suspicion of being linked to the attack on the mosque.All three have since been released, and police have struggled to present evidence to the courts to justify their continued custody.
