Military prosecutors on Thursday filed an indictment against Master Sergeant (Res.) Aviad Frija for the murder of Yuval Castleman at the scene of a deadly terrorist attack in Jerusalem last year.
Staff Sergeant Frija was one of two soldiers on leave who responded to the terrorist attack. He is charged with negligent manslaughter.
According to the indictment, on November 30, 2023, during a terrorist attack at a bus stop at the entrance to Jerusalem, Castleman, an armed civilian, stopped his car across the street, got out, ran and killed the terrorists, thus ending the deadly attack.
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Frija, who was off duty at the time, was also at the scene and attempted to neutralize the two shooters from the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas.
Police and security forces at the scene of a terrorist shooting at the entrance to Jerusalem, November 30, 2023. (Ohad Zwigenberg/AP)
Moments after the two terrorists were shot by Castleman, Frija opened fire on the armed civilian, although another off-duty soldier asked her to cease fire, according to the arrest warrant. charge.
According to the indictment, Frija continued shooting at Castleman after Castleman raised his hands in the air, took off his jacket, threw away his gun and no longer posed a danger. The continued shooting caused Castleman’s death.
Shocking video from the scene shows Castleman throw away his gun, fall to his knees and raise his hands in the air while shouting “Don’t shoot” as troopers approach him. Another bullet was then fired.
The Israeli military said the indictment was filed following a thorough military police investigation and hearing.
Frija was arrested after investigators found discrepancies between his initial testimony and the account he gave during military police questioning, in addition to findings made at the scene of the shooting.
The second soldier involved, who opened fire and was injured, was also questioned. The two soldiers were taking a break from fighting in the Gaza Strip and returning to the front line when the attack took place.
IDF protocols do not allow soldiers to shoot a person who raises their hands in the air. Separately, officials said the soldier did not act in accordance with the norms and values of the Israeli army during the “incident.”
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