FILE - In this Jan. 5, 2018 file photo, Mohammed Tamimi, Ahed Tamimi's 15-year-old cousin sits in his family home in Nabi Saleh, recovering from a serious head injury sustained after being shot with a rubber-coated metal bullet in clashes with Israeli troops on Dec. 15. Relatives of Ahed Tamimi, the Palestinian teen-turned-protest icon, said Monday, Feb. 26, 2018 that troops arrested 10 people from her West Bank village, including Mohammed. Mohammed, who had part of his skull removed by surgeons, said he was held in handcuffs for 10 hours before being released. (AP Photo/Majdi Mohammed)
February 27, 2018 - 10:31 AM
RAMALLAH, Palestinian Territory - Israel is disputing a Palestinian teenager's account of being shot in the head, an incident which is said to have led his cousin, protest icon Ahed Tamimi, to slap Israeli soldiers.
Maj. Gen. Yoav Mordechai says 15-year-old Mohammed Tamimi's account is part of the family's "culture of lies."
The Tamimis, backed Tuesday by hospital officials and medical records, said Mohammed was shot Dec. 15 by a soldier, and that surgeons removed parts of his skull to extract a rubber-coated steel pellet. The shooting is said to have set off Ahed, who now faces possible jail time.
Mohammed, who was seized from his home Monday, told Israeli interrogators he injured his head in a bike accident. His father says the frightened boy lied to avoid charges of involvement in stone-throwing.
News from © The Associated Press, 2018