A 15-year-old Eritrean national is facing charges after allegedly stabbing a tourist in the back, leaving him paralyzed, during an altercation in Tel Aviv.
The incident occurred around 2:30 a.m. on August 2, when a group of tourists intervened to stop the suspect and others from harassing another boy. In response, the teenagers reportedly chased the tourists, with the main suspect allegedly stabbing one of them deeply in the back and leaving the knife embedded in his body.
The victim was rushed to Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center in serious condition, where he was placed on a ventilator. According to police, the tourist remains paraplegic.
"Immediately after the incident, the suspects fled the scene, discarding their clothing to avoid identification," police reported.
Tel Aviv Police officers and the City Security Patrol quickly arrived and began searching for the suspects. Two of the suspects, aged 13 and 14, were apprehended shortly afterward, while another, aged 15, was arrested the following day. However, the boy who allegedly carried out the stabbing initially remained at large.
The investigation was led by the Youth Investigations and Intelligence Division at Lev Tel Aviv Police Station, which utilized intensive investigative efforts and advanced technological measures to locate the main suspect. Authorities believed he was in hiding and had altered his appearance to evade capture.
On August 7, detectives arrested the primary suspect, a 15-year-old Eritrean boy living in Bat Yam. While three of the suspects were later released to house arrest, the stabbing suspect has been repeatedly remanded to custody.
On Thursday, police announced that with the completion of the investigation, a prosecutor's statement had been submitted to the court, signaling the intention to indict the main suspect on serious charges, including possession of a knife and aggravated assault, with a request for detention until the end of the legal proceedings.