Police arrest illegal immigrant during protes
Police arrest illegal immigrant during protesFlash 90

The Petah Tikva Magistrates Court ordered on Tuesday to extend the arrest of two suspects, infiltrators, who attacked a Givati ​​soldier exactly one year ago and left him in a vegetative state. The two suspects, who were arrested Monday, will be held for five more days. 

In March 2013, a group of four young men in their 20s, residents of Petah Tikva, left one of the restaurants in the city at 4:00 am and walked to the home of one of them, when they encountered the two suspects sitting on the sidewalk.

A violent skirmish broke out between the suspects and the groups of friends, and the soldier was beaten in the head with a blunt object and left unconscious on the pavement. Since then, the soldier has been in a vegetative state, and the police have been searching for the perpetrators. 

Forensic investigators recently found new evidence at the scene, which was sent to a lab for review. A few weeks ago, the police were able to associate the findings with the two suspects, and the police turned to the Oz unit which deals with illegal immigrants, which managed locate them.

The police contacted one suspect's mobile device and after a brief conversation, one of them was arrested by detectives and a crime-fighting unit from Petah Tikva police. A SWAT team also participated in the arrest. The suspect was arrested and taken for interrogation at the police station on suspicion of involvement in the brutal attack.

Once apprehended, the suspect told investigators details of the incident and recounted the full story. A few hours later, detectives arrived at the home of the second suspect and arrested him.

The case has grabbed headlines for highlighting the issue of infiltrators in Israel, as many point to waves of illegal immigration as the main cause of skyrocketing crime in central Israeli cities.

Residents of southern Tel Aviv in particular, as well as those of other cities like Eilat, say they have been suffering from endless harassment, fear and violence perpetrated by the many illegal Eritrean and Sudanese infiltrators who enter Israel to find employment and come to live in their working-class neighborhoods. Residents say they are terrified of leaving their homes and have begged the government to take action. 

Yesterday, Tel Aviv police were called after a young mother and children encountered an illegal immigrant walking down the street in broad daylight completely naked.