West Bank teenager arrested by police for exposing top officer on the Internet

West Bank teenager arrested by police for exposing top officer on the Internet

2010-10-08 08:14:51 GMT+7 (ICT)

WEST BANK (BNO NEWS) – A northern West Bank settlement teenager on Thursday was arrested by Judea and Samaria police for allegedly exposing the head of Shin Bet's Jewish Division in an online video, local media reported.

The Hebron resident, aged 17, allegedly distributed footage on YouTube in which the official's name and position are spelled out at the top of the screen, and he is seen getting into a vehicle. The official is only known as A. and is the head of the service's Makhlaka Hayehudit (Jewish Division).

Shin Bet's Jewish Division is in charge of monitoring the activities of the extreme right wing in the West Bank. The top officer resides in a small settlement in the area.

Military censorship laws prohibit the publication of the officer's full name and place of residence, though this information is common knowledge among the settler population in the region.

The video shows the top officer's face clearly as he was patrolling the West Bank. Such exposure is considered a criminal offense as it allegedly endangers the life of the official since he has acted to prevent potential terror activities originating from the West Bank's Palestinian population in the past.

The footage had been posted on YouTube for several months. The youngster denied the suspicions against him during questioning and he was released after being charged with exposing a Shin Bet official as well as with threatening the security official.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2010-10-08