4 Men Indicted in Beating of Eritrean Mistaken for Terrorist
Members of the Eritrean community light candles in Tel Aviv to commemorate the killing of Habtom Zarhum. Image by Getty Images
(JTA) — An Israeli soldier and a prison guard officer were among four men indicted in the beating of an Eritrean man they mistook for a terrorist.
The men were indicted Tuesday in the case of Haftom Zarhum, 29, a migrant who was also shot by police and died hours later at Soroka Hospital in Beersheba following an Oct. 18 terror attack at the southern Israeli city’s central bus station that killed one and injured 10.
Video images of the attack show Zarhum incapacitated and lying in a pool of his own blood being kicked by bystanders who thought he was an assailant.
An autopsy found that Zarhum had eight gunshot wounds, two of which were fatal.
A statement posted on the Israel Police website following the incident said the attack on the downed man was a “very grave” incident and that it would “not allow citizens to take the law into their own hands.” The police statement also called on citizens to “act with restraint and extra caution and to allow the police to perform their job.”
Did you know that only 2% of Forward readers donate to support our nonprofit newsroom? That 2% make it possible for millions to read the Forward without a paywall or subscription — removing any barriers to the full and fair Jewish story.
But while the Forward is free to read, it isn’t free to produce. Big stories — like deep dives into the antisemitism data, political scoops or reporting trips to college campuses — take months of research and fact-checking. All while we keep you informed of what you need to know each day.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Forward Publisher & CEO
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
