Border Policeman Arrested for May Shooting

Israeli police have arrested a paramilitary border policeman over the fatal shooting of a Palestinian teenager in Yehudah and Shomron in May, a spokesman said on Wednesday.

Nadim Nuwara, 17, and Muhammad Abu Thahr, 16, were killed during a May 15 demonstration in which Palestinians hurled stones at Israeli forces. Video from security cameras suggested they were shot despite posing no immediate threat to the troops.

At a remand hearing in a Yerushalayim court on Wednesday, Benny Katz, the suspect’s attorney, told reporters his client says he fired only rubber bullets during the protest and denies using live ammunition.

The Israeli military said its forces fired only rubber bullets that day and that border policemen, who are also armed with assault rifles and carry out security duties in the region, were present at the scene as well.

Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said the policeman was arrested in connection with Nuwara’s death, but not Abu Thahr’s, because an autopsy was only carried out on Nuwara’s body.

All other details of the investigation were under a gag order, he said.

This article appeared in print on page 6 of the November 13th, 2014 edition of Hamodia.