Seven members of a gang that savagely lynched a Jewish man in Tel Aviv earlier this month have been indicted. Three were charged with aggravated assault and murder.
Another four have been charged with failure to prevent a crime and failure to provide assistance, under the “Do not stand idly by your brother's blood” law, which requires witnesses to a crime to help the victim if possible.
An eighth person who was present at the time of the crime – a 17-year-old girl from Petach Tikva – will not be charged. The girl was the first to give testimony to police, and has stated that she attempted to prevent the slaying.
Two of the three murder suspects have been identified as Jamal Adav and Abdel Rahman Addas of the Israeli-Arab town of Jaljulya. Along with a minor, also from Jaljulya, they are accused of beating Leonard (Arik) Karp to death and of injuring his wife and daughter.
The vicious assault began as the Karp family was attempting to leave the beach following suggestive remarks directed at the two women.
While Adav, Addas and the unidentified minor were assaulting Karp, the remaining members of the group stood by and did not intervene, according to the indictment. The entire group had been drinking.
The gang ran away after hearing people approaching the area, leaving Karp to die. They continued to a nearby park, where they spent the rest of the night drinking and dancing.
It was not clear from the indictment how Karp's body reached the water. By the time his wife and daughter returned with police, Karp had disappeared. His body was found in the water the next day.