Palestinian police offer help in search for kidnapped Arab Israeli
Amid fears that 7-year-old Karim Jumhour, who was kidnapped Tuesday from Qalansawe in northern Israel, has been taken to the West Bank, Palestinian police say they have begun minor searches, but are hamstrung by lack of information.
The whereabouts of Karim Jumhour remains unknown, while the main suspect in the kidnapping, Ahmed Nakib from Lod, claimed Thursday he is not connected to the abduction and does not know why he was arrested.
“We have begun searching for him but because of a lack of details and false information we are facing difficulties,” the Palestinian police said on Thursday evening.
On Thursday , Nakib, was arrested along with three others, told the courts that "I have no hand or foot in it, I have no idea why they attacked me, I don't know the child, they just arrested me." His remand was extended by seven days.
The Palestinian police spoke to Ynet about the kidnapping and discussed fears that Jumhour may have been taken to the West Bank.
“Everything people are saying is all rumors. We started general searches for the boy but due to a lack of details and false information we are facing difficulties. What is important is that the father has not yet filed a complaint with us. He must come in and provide details about the boy. After he files a complaint, the situation will change,” a spokesperson said.
By Friday afternoon, Jumhour's family had filed a complaint at the Tulkarm police station, following which Palestinian policed promised to intensify the search.
The Shin Bet originally made it clear that it is not involved in the search. “Coordination and continuous connection is being carried out directly between the Israel Police and the Palestinian police to look into suspicions that the boy was taken to Palestinian Authority territory,” a statement said.
“Since there is still no thread regarding the boy’s location, there is no exceptional deployment of the IDF in Judea and Samaria, also because of the criminal-civilian character of the incident,” it explained.
According to the Shin Bet, the current coordination between the Israeli and Palestinian police force sufficed to bring about Jumhour’s return from the West Bank if it emerges that he has been taken there.
“However, in order to make it difficult on the kidnappers, all details of the investigation and the search efforts are under gag order,” the statement continued.
By Friday afternoon, however, the Shin Bet announced that it was joining the search efforts.
Officials familiar with the investigation, the details of which are under a gag order, say said Jumhour is believed to have been taken to the Palestinian Authority territories.
Shortly after the Shin Bet's announcement, Police Commissioner Roni Alsheikh confirmed that Jumhour “was kidnapped by criminals and taken to Palestinian Authority territory. We view the PA as directly responsible for Karim’s security until he is returned safely to his family and we expect them to act responsibly.”
 |
The IDF also said that “the incident is being dealt with by the Israel Police” and has yet to announce its involvement.
