The Jewish man suspected of killing an Arab rioter near Ariel spoke up for the first time, recounting the event as it occurred.
"I stabbed - but I did it in order to protect myself and the group of young boys who were with me," the man said.
Kan News on Saturday night reported that the suspect also told his version of the events to Shabak (Israel Security Agency) and police investigators - nine days after he was arrested.
Footage of the recounted event was taken from a great distance, and shows a violent clash between the suspect and a police officer who was playing the part of the Arab. The redo took place at the scene of the event, very close to the security fence surrounding the city of Ariel.
The suspect's attorney, Adi Keidar from Honenu, said, "My client is fully cooperating with the investigation. I am happy that the investigators are beginning to see the real picture, and that is that the suspect protected himself and the young boys who were at the scene.".
Last week, Ynet reported that six Jewish boys who participated in the trip near Ariel filed complaints on the issue and gave testimony to Israel Police regarding the events that took place. The boys, age 14, told investigators that an Arab mob attacked them. Afterwards, one of the boys was interrogated under warning as a suspect in the case.