BICOM

Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat this morning condemned the killing of an Arab teenager from East Jerusalem, whose body was found in the Jerusalem Forest this morning. Whilst police are considering a number of possible causes, there are fears that this may be an act of revenge for the murder of three Israeli teenagers who were buried earlier in the day.

Initial reports indicate that the 16-year-old is from the Shuafat neighbourhood and that his body had been charred. Israeli Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld confirmed that “police discovered a body in the Jerusalem Forest.” At the same time, he also said that police had been notified of a youth who had been “pulled into a vehicle and possibly kidnapped” and had set up roadblocks to search for the suspects. Rosenfeld explained that police are “looking to see if there was a connection between the missing youth and the body that was found.”

According to the Jerusalem Post, as well as the possible nationalistic motives for the killing, police are exploring possible links to clan conflicts in East Jerusalem and previous attempts to kidnap members of the dead youngster’s family.

Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat responded to the discovery of the 16-year-old’s body this morning, saying “This is a horrible and barbaric act which I strongly condemn. This is not our way… I call on everyone to exercise restraint.” Meanwhile, Housing Minister and senior Jewish Home leader Uri Ariel also condemned the killing, calling it “a disgusting act. I hope police uses all means to find the murderers as quickly as possible and to bring them to justice.”

Yesterday evening, Jerusalem police made around 50 arrests after a crowd of extremist Jewish activists marched from the entrance of the city towards the city centre, shouting “we want revenge” for the murders of the three Israeli teenagers. They reportedly attacked several Arab workers and passers-by, with a handful requiring medical treatment. The crowd also blocked traffic and briefly disrupted the city’s light rail system.