The suspect who assaulted a young woman in broad daylight in Azor was arrested. According to Israel Hayom, the suspect said during questioning, "I only wanted the phone." The arrest follows a multi-district manhunt; the suspect was apprehended at his home in Dahariya.
The suspect in the broad-daylight assault on a young woman in Azor claimed during questioning that he attacked the victim to steal her phone, saying, “I only wanted the phone,” Israel Hayom reported on Friday. The arrest was announced Thursday evening (Jun 18) after a multi-district manhunt, but the suspect’s motive statement emerged in coverage on Friday. The 36-year-old Palestinian resident of Dahariya, near Hebron, was apprehended at his home overnight in a joint operation by Tel Aviv, Southern, and Judea and Samaria police districts with IDF forces, as The Zioneer reported from the time of the arrest (Thu 20:22 Jerusalem, updated Thu 23:39 Jerusalem). Police initially gave differing ages for the suspect across versions (from 34 to 36), but final bulletins settled on 36. The Azor local council confirmed the arrest Thursday evening (Thu 20:22 Jerusalem), and police said the suspect was transferred to Holon station for questioning, with a remand extension expected. The assault was captured on security cameras showing the suspect following the woman, attacking her from behind, and kissing and groping her before fleeing — footage that circulated widely and sparked public outrage and vigilante threats by residents.
As The Zioneer reported earlier in the thread, the manhunt was triggered by the graphic footage (first published in background reports Thu 17:07 Jerusalem and Thu 22:06 Jerusalem), and the arrest followed hours of searches. The suspect’s identity evolved across police statements and news reports: initial versions (Thu 20:22 Jerusalem) described him as a 34-year-old Palestinian without entry permits from the Hebron area, then as a 36-year-old West Bank resident, and finally as a 36-year-old Dahariya resident arrested in the joint operation — each version narrowing the description as corroboration improved.
The Azor incident is part of a wider pattern of daylight assaults captured on camera and circulating online, including a separate case earlier reported by The Zioneer of a man sexually assaulting a woman on a Tel Aviv street (background report Thu 17:07 Jerusalem) and a teenager assaulting an elderly woman in Haifa (background report Thu 19:28 Jerusalem). The suspect in this case faces charges of sexual assault and robbery.
What remains open: the suspect’s claim that he acted only to steal a phone has not been independently corroborated, and police have not confirmed whether robbery was his sole intent. The exact sequence of the assault and whether the suspect had prior permits or a criminal record have not been fully clarified by police. The court’s decision on the expected remand extension is also pending.
5 developments
- StrongDaniel Amram: young woman sexually assaulted by stalker in broad daylight in Azor; suspect still at large
- StrongPolice arrest West Bank Palestinian suspect in Holon daylight assault on woman
- DevelopingVideo shows man sexually assaulting woman in broad daylight on Tel Aviv street
- DevelopingIsraeli forces arrest wanted individual in al-Fawwar, Hebron area
Source and signal
- Internal intake