Politics & Government

Probe into Tampa Teen's Beating in Israel Under Way

A 15-year-old boy from Tampa was allegedly beaten by Israel security forces in Jerusalem last week.

A Tampa teenager who was detained by Israeli authorities last week after a violent protest in east Jerusalem has been released on bail and returned to his family.

Bruised and battered, Tariq Abu Khdeir, 15, has been placed on house arrest, according to Bay News 9.

The violence that led to the detainment erupted last week following the burning death of Khdeir’s 16-year-old cousin, which is said to have followed in retaliation to the death of three Israeli teens.

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Tariq Abu Khdeir’s alleged beating was captured on a video that has since prompted an outcry for an investigation.

While the U.S. State Department says it is “profoundly troubled” over the incident, Israeli police say the video documenting the beating is “edited and biased.”

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Khdeir’s parents were ordered to pay about $877 in bail for their son’s return, according to NBC News.

Tariq Abu Khdeir is a Palestinian-American who attends Tampa’s University Academy of Florida high school. He was in Jerusalem visiting family, and has told officials he did not take part in protests over his cousin’s death. Israeli police say otherwise and accuse the teen of resisting arrest and carrying a slingshot.

Six suspects have been arrested in the death of Khdeir’s cousin.

The Israel Justice Ministry has agreed to launch a formal investigation into the subsequent beating at the request of the U.S. State Department, Bay News 9 reported.

For his part, Khdeir told media he was “excited to be back home” following his release. He is expected to return to Tampa July 16.

“I’m going to hug him of course," Huda Abu Khdeir, his grandmother, told WFLA about the impending return. " My baby, I love him. He’s my first grand baby.”

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