Jerusalem Detainee Indicted for Severely Biting Fellow Inmate's Ear
The Central District Prosecutor's Office indicted 24-year-old Jerusalem resident Akram Zahaika for severely assaulting a fellow detainee at the Nitzan facility, biting off part of his ear.
The Central District Prosecutor's Office filed an indictment against Akram Zahaika, a 24-year-old resident of Jerusalem, on charges of severely assaulting another detainee while in custody.
According to the indictment, the incident took place on September 26, 2019, in cell 17 of wing 5 at the Nitzan detention facility. After the victim refused an invitation to eat, Zahaika verbally abused him and hurled profanities. When the victim stood up out of fear, other detainees held him, believing he intended to attack.
Zahaika then approached the victim, punched him in the head, and bit his right ear with immense force, tearing off the upper part of the auricle which fell onto the blood-stained floor. The victim sustained a permanent, irreversible injury and required skin graft surgery.
During the investigation, the defendant initially denied the allegations and later exercised his right to silence. Prosecutor Liora Cumha noted that the violent attack stemmed from a trivial matter, adding that the defendant was already being held in detention pending proceedings in another case involving attempted murder charges.
