10-year-old Yaali struggles to testify; kidnapping suspect to remain in custody
The court extended the suspect's detention by 6 days, determining that the suspicion against him remains strong. The interrogation of the kidnapped child was stopped midway due to the difficulty of reconstructing the event, and police noted that it has not yet been decided whether the suspect harmed him. Yaali was located early in the morning in Bnei Brak with a young man from Jerusalem whom he did not know.
The Magistrate's Court in Petah Tikva extended the detention of the suspect in the kidnapping of 10-year-old Yaali by six days this morning, Thursday. A gag order on the suspect's name and photograph remains in effect until the next hearing.
During the hearing, a police representative stated that they have not yet reached a conclusion on whether the suspect harmed Yaali, as the 10-year-old experienced significant difficulty remembering the events during his session with a child investigator. "The interrogation was stopped midway at his request, as it was difficult for him to continue due to the gravity of the event," the representative said. "It will resume when the child is ready." Police added that other children who witnessed the start of the incident have not yet provided testimony.
The suspect's mother and his attorney, Frida Wall from the Public Defender's Office, attended the hearing. Wall criticized the police for leaking details of the investigation to television channels despite the court-ordered gag order. The police representative denied that this constituted obstruction of justice.
Judge Erez Melamed ruled: "The suspicion against the suspect remains strong, and there are grounds for detention due to public danger. Given the need for further investigative actions, I have decided to extend the detention until September 8 at 9:00 AM." Attorney Wall stated after the hearing that her client is in a complex mental and cognitive state, noting that a court-ordered psychiatric evaluation has yet to be carried out.
Yaali was missing from Sunday afternoon until early Monday morning. His mother, Shiran Sabtai Sofer, described how footage showed her son at a playground with a 20-year-old man from Jerusalem whom he did not know. According to the mother, the suspect manipulated the boy by claiming he had been kicked out of his home and needed money. He allegedly used the child to beg for alms before putting him on a bus to Bnei Brak.
Yaali was eventually located in Bnei Brak around 1:00 AM after a concerned citizen contacted police following reports of the child's disappearance. Yaali told police that the suspect had ordered him to ask strangers for money. The suspect denies kidnapping the boy, claiming instead that he met the child on the street and was merely trying to help him find his way home.
