Aaron Sadigurky
Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg
Yehiel Lex
Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg
Nathanael Kellerman
Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg
Police arrest 3 'price-tag' suspects
Lengthy investigation in case involving desecration of West Bank mosque leads to suspects' arrest
Three men were brought before the Jerusalem Magistrates Court Tuesday, for allegedly committing acts of "price tag" vandalism.
The men – Aaron Sadigurky (21), Yehiel Lex (22) and Nathanael Kellerman (19) were arrested some two weeks ago for allegedly setting fire to a car in the village of Dhahiriya near Hebron and spraying graffiti on a mosque.
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According to details revealed in the arraignment, Sadigurky, Lex and Kellerman were the subjects of a lengthy police investigation, as the car with which they were systematically vandalizing property was known to the police. The car, a red Subaru, had given the case the nickname "The Red Japanese," and is now key evidence in the case.
Not long after the wall of a mosque was desecrated, an IDF unit identified the perpetrators' Subaru in a nearby village. The police then started trailing the vehicle, consequently linking it to the crime in Dhahiriya, where a cab was set on fire and a graffiti referencing to a rightwing activist – arrested for a different act of vandalism – was sprayed.
The car set on fire in Dhahiriya (Photos: Judea and Samaria District Police)
When intelligence information pertaining to the suspects' intention to harm Palestinians reached police forces in early December, a Central Control Unit force was sent after them and arrested them near Samua.
The force found flammable substances in the suspects' car, along with cans of spray-paint and fake weapons, apparently used for deterrence in case of need.
Weapons found in the suspects' car
The State is expected to indict the men, and the police are expected to ask the court that they be remanded pending the conclusion of all legal proceedings against them.
In the arraignment held Tuesday, the court remanded the three for an additional four days, due to the fact that "The suspects pose great danger, express disregard to the law and do not comprehend the consequences of their actions," Judge Avraham Rubin stated.
According to the suspects' attorney, Yehuda Shushan: "We've already seen cases in which the police took pride in evidence they were possessing, but there was no indictment. My clients have been subjected to deceptive inquiry methods and are still denying the allegations. Time will tell what will come of this case."
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