An 18-year-old Jewish alleged extremist from Ma’aleh Adumim, a moderate West Bank Jewish settlement just outside Jerusalem, was released to house arrest from from administrative detention, where he was held by the Shin Bet in connection with a church hate crime arson. Two minors confessed to the crime several days ago.
18-Year-Old Alleged Extremist Released To House Arrest After 5 Months In Shin Bet Custody
Shmarya Rosenberg • FailedMessiah.com
An 18-year-old Jewish alleged extremist from Ma’aleh Adumim, a moderate West Bank Jewish settlement just outside Jerusalem, was released to house arrest from from administrative detention Sunday, the Jerusalem Post reported.
Mordechai Meyer, who was arrested in August, was released Sunday after being in Shin Bet custody for almost five months. Meyer was thought to have committed a hate crime arson against a Jerusalem church, the Dormition Abbey on Mount Zion, in February. Anti-Christian graffiti was also found painted on the abbey’s outer walls and above its door.
Meyer’s release closely followed confessions by two minors who admitted to committing the crime. A third suspect in the arson was indicted earlier this week. (Other earlier media reports published earlier this week have several unnamed suspects being indicted for violent hate crimes against Palestinians, churches and mosques. Those indictments may be related to the Dormition Abbey arson, as well.)
Just after the crime, Greek Orthodox Archbishop Aristarchos said in an Army Radio interview that Jews with peyos (sidelocks) had recently threatened the abbey’s seminarians.
“Once religious Jewish people with sidelocks came and issued threats. Perhaps the police will know if [the attack on the abbey] is connected to them.”
The archbishop also said in the interview that an eyewitness had seen two attackers.
“Two people who were hiding their faces came from the east side of the structure near the cemetery and the Catholic church. From there they threw flammable liquid at the seminary’s bathroom,” the archbishop said.
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