A Tampa, Florida, teenager who was seen beaten by Israeli police in a video that has sparked outrage among Palestinians remained in stable condition Saturday, an American consulate representative told NBC News. Tariq Abu Khdeir, 15, suffered a broken nose and chin, and injuries to his eyes as a result of Thursday’s altercation with police, his father, Salah Abu Khdeir, told the Council for American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). Tariq was in Jerusalem to attend the funeral of his 16-year-old cousin, Mohammed Abu Khdeir, who was burned to death following violence that stemmed from the killings of three missing Israeli teenagers.
Tariq was one of six detained by police during violent clashes ahead of Mohammed Abu Khdeir’s funeral. He remains at an Israeli police station and is scheduled to appear in court Sunday, said American consulate representative Joshua Wagner. Israeli police said the video, which shows two officers attacking Tariq while he’s on the ground, is “edited and biased” and that it “does not represent the events.” The Florida chapter of CAIR called for the U.S. State Department to demand that Tariq be released from Israeli custody. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Saturday they are “profoundly troubled by reports that [Tariq] was severely beaten while in police custody.” The Israeli Justice Ministry also announced Saturday that they will launch an investigation into the incident, The Jerusalem Post reported.
This story originally appeared on NBCNews.com.
Lawahez Jabari
Jacob Passy