BREAKING NEWS

Driver who ran over man in Mea Shearim released, supporters celebrate

Ibrahim Hamed, the driver who ran over and killed a man in Mea Shearim on Sunday night during a demonstration against Purim restrictions, was released from police custody on Tuesday night and greeted by a festive crowd with music and chants of Allahu Akbar (God is Great), Palestinian media reported.

Videos shared on social media showed Hamed being carried on supporters' shoulders in the Wadi Al-Joz neighborhood in east Jerusalem as the crowd cheered him on.

Hamed had stated that he lost control of the minibus he was driving after a haredi crowd attacked him and threw stones at his vehicle.
"They wanted to kill me because I'm Arab," said Hamed, according to Channel 13. Hamed fled the scene after plowing into 47-year-old Mevasseret Zion resident Itamar Ben Abu. He later turned himself in to the police.
Channel 13 screened a video from the scene where scores of haredi protesters can be seen blocking traffic against coronavirus lockdown rules. It showed a crowd of haredim throwing bottles and surrounding the minibus, which sped up and crushed Ben Abu against another car.