An indictment was filed today (Monday) by the Tel Aviv District Prosecutor's Office against Habatamo Asres, a 23-year-old from Holon, for attempting to murder a police officer during a protest by the Ethiopian community in Tel Aviv.
The prosecution attributes to the defendant a series of incidents, including an attempted murder of a police officer, as well as threats and attempted assault on a woman and another man who came to her aid. He attacked and tried to stab him. The indictment also states that the accused threatened and cursed police officers while committing an indecent act in front of them.
From the indictment, it emerges that the defendant decided to cause the death of a police officer in the Israel Police. For this purpose, on August 23rd, he carried a 32 cm long kitchen knife and arrived at the protest of the Ethiopian community held on the Kirya Bridge near Azrieli Towers. At that time, there was a protest by members of the Ethiopian community.
Furthermore, it is written that Asres pulled out the knife he had concealed under his clothes, rushed toward a police officer, and stabbed him near the back of his neck while uttering curses. In response to this act, the officer quickly dismounted from his motorcycle and distanced himself from Asres, who pursued him and attempted to stab him again. During the chase, Asres slipped and fell to the ground, dropped the knife, and fled from the scene amidst the tumultuous protest taking place at that time. As a result of the stabbing, the officer was taken to the hospital while bleeding and in need of stitches.
Tried stabbing with shards of glass
In another incident involving the suspect, five days after the initial incident, on Bialik Street in Tel Aviv, Asres approached a woman who had parked her bicycle there and threatened her by shouting, "Get down on your knees, or I'll stab you." A man who noticed the woman's distress approached her, turned to Asres, and demanded that he leave her alone. In response to the intervention of that man, an argument ensued between the two, during which the suspect threatened the complainant and struck him using wooden planks.
Additionally, the suspect called the police and threatened to murder the complainant after Asres confronted an elderly couple who passed by the scene, and the complainant came to their aid. Asres attempted to stab him using glass shards. Asres continued to threaten a police officer who arrived at the scene to question him, verbally abused and threatened him, as well as another policewoman in a patrol car and a jailer at the police station.
During the investigation, Asres threatened the police officer who was appointed to guard him, committed an indecent act in front of him, and in front of other police officers as well.
In the arrest request, Attorney Shevan Parkel stated that "we are dealing with a violent and dangerous individual, constituting a 'ticking bomb' in practice, who employs violence towards anyone in his path, and only by chance did not cause the death of the police officer, as the stabbing was very close to major blood vessels in his neck."
The indictment charges the defendant with offenses including attempted murder, possession of a knife, severe assault under aggravated circumstances, threats, and committing an indecent act.