Locals: Settlers try to kidnap 7-year-old in Beit Hanina

4 July, 2014 Ma’an

Beit Hanina – Palestinians live in foreground, Jews live on hill in background

Israeli settlers attempted to kidnap a seven-year-old Palestinian child in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Beit Hanina overnight Thursday, locals said.

Witnesses told Ma’an that four settlers from Pisgat Zeev tried to kidnap Muhammad Ali al-Kiswani while he was playing in the neighborhood late Thursday after breaking the Ramadan fast.

Children in the area alerted family members, who thwarted the attack, according to witnesses.

The settlers fled on foot, locals said.

An Israeli police spokesman could not be reached for comment.

On Tuesday, Muhammad Abu Khdeir, 16, was kidnapped from the Shufat neighborhood and later found dead in a Jerusalem forest. His body was found badly burnt.

Earlier, two settlers attempted to kidnap Mousa Zalloum, 10, in Beit Hanina, locals said. The kidnapping was reportedly thwarted by the boy’s mother and local residents.