Tayssir Kariki
May 14, 2007
Tel Aviv, Israel

Tel Aviv, Crime Raciste - Un nouvel immigrant français juif israélien égorge un chauffeur de taxi arabe israélien

Ce lundi un nouvel immigrant français juif israélien a avoué avoir assassiné un chauffeur de taxi arabe israélien. L'immigrant français âgé de 23 ans, et son frère âgé de 21 ans ont invité un chauffeur de taxi arabe israélien qui les avait reconduits de Jérusalem à leur appartement de Tel Aviv rue Yona Hanavi, à prendre un café.

Là, l'aîné des deux frères a égorgé le chauffeur de taxi, un arabe israélien de Beit Hanina Taisir Karaki âgé de 35 ans. Le corps de la victime portait également des signes d'attaque violente au couteau.

Les deux frères, interpellés par la police attirée par leur comportement bizarre, alors qu'ils se promenaient au milieu de la rue Allenby dans Tel Aviv, les ont interrogé. L'aîné des frères a avoué avoir assassiner le chauffeur de taxi dans son appartement et a conduit la police sur les lieux du carnage. "J'ai décidé de tuer un arabe" a-t-il dit à la police, pour qui l'horrible assassinat a été prémédité. Selon les voisins, ce jeune français israélien, nouvel immigré, est devenu récemment religieux, d'où la qualification de crime nationaliste attribuée selon le responsable de l'enquête. Selon l'un des officiers chargé de l'enquête, le suspect a attaqué la victime à coup de couteau et l'a égorgé.

Le parlementaire arabe israélien Ahmed Tibi (du parti Ra`am-Ta`al) en réponse à ce meurtre a dit que " une atmosphère d'incitation, la haine des arabes et le racisme croissant dans ce pays constituent un terrain fertile pour ce crime". Il a ajouté " le Tribunal trouvera certainement des circonstances atténuantes pour ces deux criminels."

Source Ynet et Haaretz 14/05/07

Nous accompagnons volontairement ce texte de la photo (Copyright Ynet) publiée avec l'article du Ynet. La légende de la photo : le suspect suite à son arrestation. Plutôt cool le suspect et son « ange gardien » de la police alors que ce jeune barbare vient d'égorger un citoyen arabe israélien. Cette photo en dit long sur l'état d'esprit qui règne en Israël.

Bien sûr vous ne lirez et ne verrez nulle part dans les medias le récit de ce crime odieux qui rappelle hélas par certains côtés, celui du jeune français juif Ilan Halimi, séquestré torturé et tué, ici en France en février 2006.

Même cruauté, même haine, même racisme.

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Two French Israelis arrested for an anti-Arab murder in Tel Aviv

JERUSALEM - Two brothers possessing dual Israeli and French 
nationality were arrested on Monday in Tel Aviv for the murder of a 
Palestinian driver stabbed to death for "nationalist reasons", a 
police spokesman stated.  

"One of the suspects confessed that he had committed an anti-Arab 
crime for nationalist reasons", the police spokesman, Mickey 
Rosenfeld, told AFP.

The two brothers, aged 21 and 25, were questioned by police carrying 
out a routine patrol in Tel Aviv because of their suspicious 
behaviour and the presence of traces of blood on their clothes", the 
spokesman stated.

"The police went straight to their apartment and found there the body 
of an Arab from East Jerusalem aged 35", he added.

At the bottom of the suspects' house was a taxi belonging to the 
victim, Tayssir Kariki, from Beit Hanina in Jerusalem, a father of 
four children. One of the two suspects, who confessed having killed 
the driver, Julien Souffir, admitted having stabbed the victim 
notably in the neck, stated the military radio.

The private network "10" claimed for its part that the two suspects 
are "new religious immigrants". Public television stated that they 
had caught the taxi in Jerusalem. On arrival in Tel Aviv, they 
suggested to the driver that he come up to their apartment "to take a 
rest". They then attacked and killed the taxi driver. 

The Internet site Ynet of the daily Yédiot Aharonot, quoting police 
officials, stated that the main suspect Julien Soufir had told the 
investigators: "I decided to kill an Arab" to justify his action. 

On Tuesday the two suspects are due to be put before a judge who will 
have to decide on the extension of their custody. 

This murder took place on the eve of the celebration by Palestinians 
of "Nakba" which marks the Arab defeat in the war of 1948 at the 
hands of the Israeli army. This defeat had driven hundreds of 
thousands of Palestinians to flee Palestine since the end of the 
British mandate and the creation of the state of Israel.

http://www.romandie.com/infos/news2/070514202525.oroeeio9.asp

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The Jerusalem Post
(Jerusalem, Israel)
May 16, 2007

'Taxi murder suspect unfit for trial'

By REBECCA ANNA STOIL

Julien Sofir, suspected of the racially motivated murder of an 
Arab taxi driver, made his first appearance in court Tuesday 
afternoon, displaying seemingly irrational behavior that backed 
up defense claims that he is unfit to stand trial.

Sofir, who has recently become religious, appeared in court 
without a head covering and continued to make faces and clap 
his hands, sticking out his tongue at reporters covering the 
event.

Both Sofir, 25, and his younger brother Jonathan, 21, appeared 
in the Tel Aviv Magistrate's Court for a remand extension. Sofir's 
attorneys, Tal Gabbai and Yehuda Freid, emphasized that their 
client was "unable to differentiate between right and wrong" and 
thus should undergo psychological examination.

If their claims are supported by court-appointed psychologists, 
Sofir may not face trial at all, but rather remand to a psychiatric 
facility.

Police said Tuesday that after a day of investigating the killing of 
taxi driver Tayseer Karaki, they had pieced together the 
timetable of events that led to the murder.

Sofir, they said, had gone to Jerusalem, where he hired Karaki to 
drive him back to Tel Aviv. But instead of driving directly to Tel 
Aviv, they drove first to Netanya, where Sofir allegedly stopped 
at Jonathan's Rehov Shoham apartment. There, Sofir allegedly 
entered the apartment and picked up the knife that was used 
shortly later to commit the murder.

When the two arrived in Tel Aviv, they entered Sofir's Rehov 
Yonah Hanavi residence, where Sofir slit the throat of the father 
of five.

Police believe that Sofir left Karaki lying in a pool of blood and 
drove his taxi to Netanya, where he picked up Jonathan and 
brought him back to Tel Aviv.

"I came after the act," Jonathan Sofir said Tuesday in court. "I 
was with my girlfriend."

Not long afterwards, police stopped the two on Rehov Allenby. 
They aroused the suspicions of the patrol by walking down the 
middle of a busy road, the patrol sergeant said.

Police who were at the scene said a day later that other than the 
fact that the two seemed "a bit disconnected or high," Julien 
Sofir had not demonstrated any of the bizarre behavior he did in 
court.

But sources close to Sofer said that for months now, the French 
immigrant's psychological state had been declining. He and his 
wife - who is now in France - had separated, and friends noticed 
that he had begun to turn to mysticism.

Sofer's wife said in a telephone conversation with InfoLife TV 
that she had alerted police on multiple occasions to her 
husband's mental decline, but that her pleas had gone 
unanswered.

Although Tel Aviv Magistrate's Court Judge Muki Lendman 
extended Sofir's remand by 10 days, he concurred with the 
defense's position and ruled that Sofir be sent for psychiatric 
observation.

Meanwhile, Sofir's parents were expected to arrive in Israel to 
support their sons, both of whom will remain behind bars for the 
near future.

Jonathan Sofir requested that he be released in order to help his 
parents during the difficult time, but his request was rejected.

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The Jerusalem Post
(Jerusalem, Israel)
May 28, 2007

Court charges Sofir with racial murder

By JPOST STAFF AND REBECCA ANNA STOIL

The Tel Aviv District Court indicted Julian Sofir Monday for the 
alleged murder of Arab taxi driver Tayseer Karaki.

Sofir, 25, was charged with stabbing Karaki in the neck 24 times 
on nationalistic grounds.

A request to remand Sofir until the end of legal proceedings was 
also filed Monday due to the racist remarks made by Sofir when 
he was arrested.

"I didn't feel anything," he had said in a statement to police. "It 
was like slaughtering a beast."

After much speculation concerning his mental state following 
seemingly irrational behavior during his first appearance in court, 
Sofir was deemed fit to stand trial after being sent for psychiatric 
examination.

According to an account of the events leading to the May 14 
murder, Sofir had gone to Jerusalem where he hired Karaki to 
drive him back to Tel Aviv.

But instead of driving directly to Tel Aviv, they drove first to 
Netanya, where Sofir allegedly stopped at his brother's 
apartment. There, Sofir allegedly entered the apartment and 
picked up the knife that was used shortly later to commit the 
murder.

When the two arrived in Tel Aviv, they entered Sofir's Rehov 
Yonah Hanavi residence, where Sofir stabbed the driver in the 
throat.

It is believed that Sofir left Karaki, father of five, lying in a pool 
of blood and drove his taxi to Netanya, where he picked up 
Jonathan and brought him back to Tel Aviv.

Not long afterwards, police had stopped the two on Rehov 
Allenby in Tel Aviv after they aroused suspicions by walking 
down the middle of a busy road.

Police who were at the scene said a day later that the two 
seemed "a bit disconnected or high."

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Jerusalem Post
(Jerusalem, Israel)
June 17, 2007

Taxi driver's murderer 'not competent' for trial

By JPOST.COM STAFF

Julian Sofir, the French immigrant who murdered taxi driver 
Tayseer Karaki in May, is not competent to stand trial, a 
psychiatrist at Abarbanel Psychiatric Hospital has determined.

The decision was announced Sunday morning in the Tel Aviv 
District Court.

Karaki's family broke out into shouts and had to be escorted out 
of the courtroom. Security guards also took care to separate 
Karaki's family from the family of Sofir, who were also present, 
Israel Radio reported.

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