A young autistic man who was arrested for assault on Sunday remained in a Tel Aviv lockup for a day and a half because it wasn’t possible to find an institution that would accept him so he could be released. Finally, close to midnight on Monday, the court agreed to release him to a temporary shelter.
The suspect, who is defined as requiring support, was arrested after the institution he lives in said he assaulted two counselors and threatened its director. As per regulations, he was questioned by a special investigator, and the investigating team concluded that his behavior necessitated his remaining detained. He was kept overnight through Monday morning in the Abu Kabir lockup in Jaffa to await his detention hearing.
Police on Monday asked to extend his detention by four days. “Detention puts his life at risk,” his attorney, Shmuel Flishman from the Public Defender’s Office, told the court. “I don’t know what they’ll do to him in Abu Kabir.”