Intense negotiations from the State Department. Update to this story.
Via Jpost
The American cousin of slain Arab teen Mohammad Abu Khdeir, whose videotaped beating by two Israeli police officers during his arrest for rioting in Jerusalem two weeks ago drew international condemnation, returned to his home in Florida Wednesday night.
Upon arriving at Tampa International Airport, Tariq Khdeir, 15, was greeted by cheering relatives, friends and media. He said he felt good, while bruises on his face that spurred a probe into the beating while in police custody, were significantly faded.
Calling his attack by police “the scariest thing that has happened to me,” Abu Khdeir told reporters he believes his story drew outrage largely because he is a US citizen. “You only know my story because I am an American,” he said. “I am only 15, but I will never think about freedom in the same way.”
A high school student attending a private Islamic school in Tampa, Abu Khdeir was vacationing in Jerusalem with his parents and younger sisters on a summer trip to visit their Palestinian relatives. He was arrested during a riot after his 16-year-old cousin was abducted, tortured and killed in early July, sparking calls from Palestinians for a third intifada.
According to police, prior to his arrest, Abu Khdeir was masked, armed and actively participating in rioting against officers during a violent demonstration in east Jerusalem’s Shuafat neighborhood the day before his cousin’s funeral.
“He was an active participant in a riot with five masked Palestinians armed with knives and throwing fire bombs and rocks at police,” said police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld of the American’s arrest.
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