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🇮🇱 Israel /Crime & Justice

British activist remains in Israeli custody over suspected minor assault during West Bank clash

From Jerusalem Post · () English

Summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Under investigation
  • British activist Finn Joughin remained in Israeli custody over an alleged indecent assault involving a child during a clash in Umm al-Kheir.
  • Police said investigators were collecting testimony and that the investigation remained ongoing, while an activist group said Joughin had been “kidnapped.”
  • Joughin said he had been trying to protect a Palestinian from violence, and footage showed him pressing against a child while holding a fence.

Finn Joughin remained in Israeli police custody after an encounter with a child in Umm al-Kheir, a village in the southern West Bank. Police said they suspected him of committing an indecent act against a minor.

on suspicion of performing an indecent act against a minor

— Israeli policePolice described the suspicion underlying Joughin’s detention.

Video from the incident showed Joughin gripping a fence while pressing his body against a child, apparently preventing the child from passing through. Joughin had been volunteering in the village as part of an effort described as protecting Palestinians from settler attacks.

Representatives of a left-wing activist group said Joughin had been “kidnapped.” They said the confrontation followed a dispute in which Israeli settler children allegedly took a ball from Palestinians. Additional footage showed a Hebrew-speaking man calling Joughin an anarchist and a pedophile.

kidnapped

— Representatives of a left-wing activist groupThe group characterized Joughin’s detention after the confrontation.

Police confirmed that the British national had been questioned and that investigators had collected testimony indicating suspicion of assaulting a minor. Joughin was arrested after questioning, police said, and the investigation continued. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu separately condemned what he called “criminal violence” connected to Saturday’s unrest.

criminal violence

— Benjamin NetanyahuThe Israeli prime minister condemned violence linked to the incident.
About this summary

Originally published by Jerusalem Post. Summarized and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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