This article is from: srnnews.com
British Activist Held on Assault Suspicion; FPA Condemns Attack on NBC Crew
By The Media Line Staff
A British activist remained in Israeli police custody Sunday on suspicion of indecently assaulting a minor in the southern West Bank village of Umm al-Kheir, while the Foreign Press Association (FPA) condemned a separate incident involving masked attackers,
a Palestinian woman and NBC journalists.
Finn Joughin was detained Saturday following an encounter with a child in Umm al-Kheir. Police said late Saturday that he was being held “on suspicion of performing an indecent act against a minor.”
Video of the incident shows Joughin gripping a fence and pressing his body against a child, apparently to prevent the child from passing through. Joughin had been volunteering in the village in what was described as an effort to protect Palestinians from settler
attacks.
Representatives of a left-wing activist group said Joughin had been “kidnapped,” saying the confrontation arose from a dispute after Israeli settler children allegedly took a ball from Palestinians.
Additional footage showed a Hebrew-speaking man calling Joughin an anarchist and a pedophile. The man identified the children in the video as residents of Barkan, described as an illegal outpost in the Umm al-Kheir area.
Police confirmed Sunday to The Times of Israel that Joughin remained in custody while the investigation continued. The British national was questioned, and investigators collected testimony regarding the allegations against him.
The interrogation “included, among others, the taking of testimonies that indicated a suspicion of a case of assaulting a minor,” police said. “The suspect was arrested at the end of his interrogation, and the investigation of the case is ongoing.”
In the separate incident involving NBC journalists, the FPA said Sunday it was “deeply alarmed” by footage showing masked attackers accosting the reporters and a Palestinian woman in the West Bank.
The association described the incident as “part of a recurring pattern of violence against journalists and Palestinian civilians.”
The FPA called on the Israel Defense Forces’ Central Command and police to investigate, hold those responsible accountable and take “concrete steps” to protect journalists working in the West Bank.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also condemned Saturday’s violence, calling it “criminal violence.”
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