An American teenager was brutally beaten by Israeli police while he and his family were away for the summer holidays in Jerusalem.
According to ABC News, Tariq Abu Khdeir was reportedly beaten and arrested after the murder of his cousin Muhammad Abu Khdeir, which has been called a revenge attack due the murders of three teenage boys who were kidnapped and murdered last month.
The Israeli police and many Palestinian youths have been in conflict since Muhammad’s murder. Police have argued Tariq was part of a group of youths who were wearing masks and had knives as weapons as they resisted arrest before attacking the officers themselves.
Tariq’s mother, Suha Abu Khdeir, told ABC News that after getting a chance to see her son, “I could not believe it. When I finally looked over at him, it was a feeling that I’ve never felt before in my life.”
The New York Daily News reported Tariq had been at a demonstration that was behind held over his cousin’s murder. His father, Salah, had witnessed the arrest himself and reportedly said his son was not part of any violence that may have occurred.
The murder of Muhammad Abu Khdei is suspected of being carried out by vigilantes who are far-right Israelis. Tariq is reportedly receiving medical treatment while still in custody.