Arson (illustrative)
Arson (illustrative)Israel News Photo: (file)

Three Arab men from the Israeli city of Akko were found guilty Monday in an arson attack on a local yeshiva. The attack occurred two weeks after Yom Kippur, shortly after violent riots struck the city.

The yeshiva that was set alight was the “Ruach Tzfonit” hesder yeshiva, whose students integrate Torah learning with service in the IDF.

The three attackers – Ibrahim Biumy, Salah Titi, and Khaled Shaaban, all Israeli citizens – threw firebombs at the yeshiva building, igniting a blaze. The yeshiva students were not present at the time, and the attack caused property damage but no injuries.

The three admitted to the attack, and to producing and carrying illegal weapons. Biumy admitted to other crimes as well, including an attack on a police officer.

The attackers will be sentenced on Wednesday.

According to their testimony, the attackers burned the yeshiva in revenge for damage to Arab property during riots in Akko a short time earlier. Hundreds of Jewish-owned cars, homes and stores were damaged during the riots, as were several Arab-owned homes.

The Yom Kippur riots broke out after local Arabs were falsely informed that Jews had killed an Arab driver. An Arab mob stormed into a Jewish neighborhood, smashing windows and screaming threats, sparking several nights of violence that spread to other mixed Arab-Jewish cities in the Galilee.