Police have released Hisham Abu Dheim, whose son Ala murdered eight young Jewish students in Jerusalem last week. The elder Abu Dheim was questioned repeatedly in an attempt to determine whether or not he and his family were involved in his son’s terrorist activities. Police plan to continue the investigation.
The Abu Dheim family is known to have ties to Hamas, according to Arab neighbors, and Hamas and Hizbullah flags were hung on a mourning tent set up in honor of their son. The family took the flags down, claiming they were not the ones who put them up. Police have established a presence near the tent for fear that Jewish groups will attempt to protest in the area, leading to clashes. Police have refused a request to allow Jews to set up a protest tent near the Dheim family’s mourning tent, but say they will allow a protest tent elsewhere in the city.