The attacker from Modi'in Illit was released to house arrest in Bnei Brak.

May 22, 2014   

The 'attack' in Modi'in Illit ends, for now, with house arrest: The District Court rejected the appeal filed by the prosecution against the release of the suspect in the attack, Rafael Cohen, to house arrest. Cohen will remain under house arrest for a week and a half, at his brother's house in Bnei Brak, until the indictment against him is filed. Attorney Moshe Morgenstern tells Haredim10: "This is a great success, it was a long discussion of about an hour and a half, and we managed twice, both peacefully and in the district, to overturn the police decision - and release him to house arrest." Morgenstern estimates that an indictment will likely be filed. As you may recall, Yehezkel Ariel, assistant to Modi'in Elite City Council member from the 'Bnei Torah' faction, Avi Berger, was violently attacked on Tuesday morning by Rafael Yehuda Cohen, a resident of the city. The attack occurred at 9:00 a.m. at the 'Beit Tefila' synagogue on Netivot Mishpat Street. According to Ariel, Cohen met him as he was leaving the synagogue, pushed him, hit him, pulled out his beard and bit him. Ariel filed a complaint with the Modi'in police, and the police launched a search for Cohen, after it turned out that Cohen had already attacked Ariel in the past - and a complaint was also filed with the police at the time. Cohen, For his part, he claimed that he was the one attacked by Ariel. There has been a long-standing conflict over the years, and each side claims that the other initiated the attack.