Officials involved in the investigation of the rape of the seven-year-old girl from the Modi'in area said Wednesday that the police may retract the indictment against the Palestinian Arab accused of the rape if there is no new evidence in the case.
A source close to the investigation explained that the investigation was corrupted due to the lateness of the family's report to police, and that there is therefore a need for auxiliary evidence in order to justify the indictment against Mahmoud Katusa.
At this time, the defendant’s remand hearing is continuing in the military court, during which a decision is expected to be made on whether to extend his detention or release him. The military prosecution asked the court to extend the defendant's remand by 10 days.
The prosecution requested that the defendant’s remand be extended in order to carry out further investigation in the case, and in order to exhaust the investigation into suspicions regarding others involved in the rape.
Gadi Siso, head of the Police Investigations Division, and the Military Advocate General, Major General Sharon Afek, decided yesterday to order the Central Unit in the Judea and Samaria District to conduct additional investigations.
The step is unusual, coming as it does after the Military Advocate General submitted an indictment against the suspected Palestinian Arab school janitor to the Ofer Military Court on Sunday following the police investigation.