Suspect Named in Petah Tikva Child Abduction Case

The Petah Tikva Magistrate's Court has authorized the release of the identity of the suspect in the abduction of ten-year-old Yehali Sofer from Petah Tikva to Bnei Brak. The suspect is Yigal Buskila, a 19-year-old homeless man from Jerusalem, whose detention has been extended multiple times in recent days.

Judge Oren Boaz approved publication of the suspect's name, noting that the public interest in this case outweighs the suspect's personal interest. The decision came against the backdrop of police concerns that there may be additional victims who have not yet filed complaints, and that releasing the identity would enable them to identify the suspect and contact authorities.

New details about the incident emerged during recent court proceedings. A police representative reported that Yehali told investigators this week details that did not come up in his initial questioning, and that the new information "strengthens the suspicion against the detainee." According to the report, at one point during the incident the suspect took the child to a bomb shelter, and the child fled from there while the suspect chased after him. A citizen who spotted the boy alerted police, who arrived at the scene.

Buskila claimed to those close to him: "I asked him to come with me to collect donations on the street. He came of his own free will. He walked with me. We asked people on the street for money. There was even a police officer who gave us 100 shekels. I didn't kidnap him." He added: "I didn't do anything to him by force. He came on his own. I didn't threaten him."

According to him, he wanted to collect donations so he could return to his home in Jerusalem. The suspect was arrested about six months ago on suspicion of stealing a mobile phone, and about nine days ago was taken for a psychiatric evaluation to assess his mental state and his fitness to remain in custody. His attorneys have argued throughout the proceedings that he has an intellectual disability.

Parallel to the investigation of Yehali's case, parents of two girls and parents of another boy contacted police and said they identified the suspect as someone who harmed their children. According to the police representative, "in one of the cases, there was harassment and threats, and in another incident there was holding a knife and threats."

The police representative also provided details about an incident that occurred several months ago in Hadera. According to him: "It was an incident with two girls whom he knew where they lived and he waited for them below the building. They were afraid to go out because of him." The police representative argued that "although there is no overlap between the incidents, it shows the dangerousness."

The incident occurred about two weeks ago when Buskila abducted Yehali and took him from Petah Tikva to Bnei Brak. In the nighttime hours, after nerve-wracking hours experienced by his family members, a Bnei Brak resident noticed the suspect and the child walking around the city and alerted police.

Investigation materials collected by police show that the suspect took sophisticated measures to cover his tracks. After the suspect approached the group of children at the playground and struck up a conversation with them, he asked one of them for his mobile phone in order to make an urgent call. Immediately after finishing the call, the suspect made sure to delete the number he dialed from the device's call log.

The child's mother described how the suspect used the boy to raise money from people in the area. "He worked on people that he was his father and told him manipulative stories," the mother recounted. "He asked people in the area to bring the guy money, and he used Yehali as his child. At one point, someone brought him a hundred shekels."

Buskila's detention has been extended several times in recent days, and the case is expected to be transferred to the prosecutor's office for consideration of filing an indictment. The judge noted in his decision that the main suspicion of the kidnapping offense remains in place and is even at a high level, as the evidentiary foundation against the young man has grown stronger during the investigation days.