Police announced Tuesday the arrest of a 42-year-old Arab from East Jerusalem suspected of a horrific rape in Tel Aviv. According to the investigation, the man followed a woman in her 20s, broke into her apartment in the city, and raped her. Prosecutors filed a pre-indictment declaration this morning, and an indictment is expected in the coming days.
The case began about a month ago when the woman filed a complaint at the Jaffa police station, reporting she had been raped in her home by a man she didn’t know. Detectives from the Ayalon district launched an intensive investigation that included collecting technological and forensic evidence. The investigation revealed the suspect followed her after she left a nightclub near her home and broke in after she entered.
About two weeks after the complaint was filed, officers located and arrested the suspect. During his arrest, police seized his phone, which contained evidence allegedly linking him to additional sexual offenses. The suspect was taken for questioning at the Jaffa station, after which he was jailed and his detention extended repeatedly.
This morning, with the investigation complete and the evidentiary foundation established, the Tel Aviv District Attorney’s Office filed a pre-indictment declaration against the suspect in court. His detention was extended once more ahead of filing an indictment and a request to hold him until the end of legal proceedings in the coming days.