An indictment was filed Tuesday morning against seven young men for their involvement in setting fire to and looting a bicycle shop in Taibeh, after the store owner donated dozens of bicycles to evacuees and residents of the Gaza envelope, on ideological-nationalist grounds.
The arson attack took place last weekend, when masked men broke into the place, stole many bicycles – and burned the store to the ground. The looting and arson were apparently carried out due to the publication on social networks of the donation by Arab-Israeli media activist Yousef Haddad.
Haddad's publication:
A moment of exciting Israeli partnership:🇮🇱
Alaa, an Israeli Arab man with a bicycle business in Taybeh, decided to donate 50 bicycles to residents of the south who came to the community of Tzur Yitzhak.
Thank you Alaa, you are the Israeli spirit at its best! pic.twitter.com/hhPFeQGSXF
— Yoseph Haddad (@YosephHaddad) October 12, 2023
At first, five young men from the city were arrested by the police and Special Patrol Unit soldiers on suspicion of their involvement in arson and theft, and later, due to developments in the investigation by the Shin Bet and the police, two additional suspects were arrested. At the end of their interrogation, an indictment was filed against each of them, each according to his part, attributing to them offenses of burglary, theft, carrying weapons, shooting, possession of weapons and violation of the honor of the flag. One of the accused was charged with arson under the circumstances of an act of terrorism.
"Everyone here contributed to children from the south, so we contributed too. We wanted to make the children happy, no matter what their origin. These are families with nothing left. We didn't think this would happen because we donated bicycles to make children happy," said Alaa's wife, the store owner, who has lived in Tzur Yitzhak for the past few years.
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