Suspect in murder of Palestinian teen 'mentally ill,' says father

"My son had nothing to do with it," the father of one of six suspects in the murder of Palestinian teenager Muhammad Abu Khdeir said Monday. "I know all of them well, and they were not involved," he said of the six young men who were arrested on Sunday, days after the Abu Khdeir's charred body was discovered in Jerusalem.

According to the father, his son, a minor suspected of helping the three main suspects to kidnap and murder Abu Khdeir, is mentally ill, Israeli news website Walla reported. Of the six suspects in custody, three are suspected of having committed the murder, and three others are suspected of being accomplices. The police suspect that the six committed the crime as an act of vengeance for the recent abduction and murder of three Jewish teenagers by Hamas terrorists.

"He is a delicate boy who didn't do anything wrong. They are holding him in miserable conditions," the father said. "He has a mental problem. He is mentally ill. He is a dear human being who would not do such a thing. If he did, it is because of his illness."

"He confessed because of his illness. I don't believe that he would do something like this. But I also know that he is ill. One of the other kids who were charged also takes pills. This is a kid who doesn't go to school because of anxiety. I know these kids very well. They are good kids who are incapable of doing bad things," he added.

"[The main suspect] is mentally ill, and he influenced them. He is sick, everyone knows it," the father added.

On Monday, three of the six suspects confessed to the murder and re-enacted the crime for investigators. Investigators are now working on getting confessions from the other suspects.

While the identities of the six suspects remain unknown, it has emerged that the majority are young adults and minors, with the oldest being 30 years old, all of them residents of Jerusalem and the surrounding area.

The majority of the suspects do not have criminal records, and while all are considered extremists, they do not belong to a single religious group.

The mother of one of the underage suspects also rejected the allegations, saying, "He did not do anything. It's crazy, they arrested him for something he obviously did not do. We are going through a hard time now, but we will overcome it. I believe they will release him soon."

A family member of another one of the minors who was arrested said, "It is impossible that he had anything to do with this murder. He is a nice, good boy who never hurt anyone."

The suspects' families have asked for police protection due to concerns of a possible revenge attack from Abu Khdeir's family or friends.

The neighbors of one of the suspects, a Beit Shemesh resident, say the family he comes from is religious.

A family member of one of the suspects said, "The police and the Shin Bet security agency wanted to prove that they are doing something, so they just arrested six guys. They do not have any proof for the majority of the people they arrested."

Some who know the suspects have said that mental health issues may have played into the crime. One person said, "No normal Jew would kidnap and murder a random Arab. It contradicts the Torah and our faith."

However, others from the Beit Shemesh area have praised what they consider to be revenge for the abduction and murder of teens Gil-ad Shaer, Eyal Yifrach and Naftali Frenkel.

Authorities have already completed the first round of arrests of those directly involved with the murder. Accessories to the crime are expected to be arrested in the coming days.

The Jerusalem District Court rejected an appeal submitted by the suspects Monday, which cited the inability to meet with their lawyers.

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