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| Police in Israel find body of missing American student | Police in Israel find body of missing American student |
| (16 days later) | |
| Israeli police said on Thursday they had found the body of a 23-year-old American student who went missing last week near a forest in Jerusalem and that they did not suspect a criminal motive. | Israeli police said on Thursday they had found the body of a 23-year-old American student who went missing last week near a forest in Jerusalem and that they did not suspect a criminal motive. |
| Aaron Sofer, a Jewish seminary student from New Jersey, vanished last Friday while walking in woods not far from the Yad Vashem Holocaust museum in Jerusalem. His body was found earlier on Thursday. | Aaron Sofer, a Jewish seminary student from New Jersey, vanished last Friday while walking in woods not far from the Yad Vashem Holocaust museum in Jerusalem. His body was found earlier on Thursday. |
| "Following a forensic examination, the body ... was identified as that of missing person Aaron Sofer. Tests showed that no criminal act was committed and the body will be transferred to the family in the coming hours," a police spokeswoman said. | "Following a forensic examination, the body ... was identified as that of missing person Aaron Sofer. Tests showed that no criminal act was committed and the body will be transferred to the family in the coming hours," a police spokeswoman said. |
| No details on the condition of the body or possible clues surrounding the circumstances of the death were revealed. | No details on the condition of the body or possible clues surrounding the circumstances of the death were revealed. |
| Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said earlier that Sofer had been hiking with a friend, making their way up a hill and had lost contact with each other. | Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said earlier that Sofer had been hiking with a friend, making their way up a hill and had lost contact with each other. |
| In June, three Israeli seminary students, all teenagers, were kidnapped while hitch-hiking in the occupied West Bank, some 30 km (20 miles) south of Jerusalem, and later found dead. | In June, three Israeli seminary students, all teenagers, were kidnapped while hitch-hiking in the occupied West Bank, some 30 km (20 miles) south of Jerusalem, and later found dead. |
| The Palestinian militant group Hamas later acknowledged responsibility for the killings [see footnote], which helped precipitate seven weeks of war between militants in Gaza and Israel that ended with an open-ended ceasefire on Tuesday. | |
| Rosenfeld said police – including canine units, mounted officers and helicopters had combed the entire Jerusalem forest, which spans 310 acres (125 hectares) at the outskirts of the city, along with volunteers for Sofer. | Rosenfeld said police – including canine units, mounted officers and helicopters had combed the entire Jerusalem forest, which spans 310 acres (125 hectares) at the outskirts of the city, along with volunteers for Sofer. |
| The Sofer family flew to Israel to be in contact with authorities as the search proceeded. Yoel Sofer said his brother had gone out for a day-long hike during a study break. | The Sofer family flew to Israel to be in contact with authorities as the search proceeded. Yoel Sofer said his brother had gone out for a day-long hike during a study break. |
| • This footnote was added on 11 September 2014. Saleh al-Arouri, one of the founders of Hamas's military wing, said at a conference in Turkey, where he now lives, that Hamas's armed wing the Qassam Brigades had imprisoned the three teenagers. His claim was not supported by other Hamas officials. In addition, the Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal said last month that Hamas members may have been behind the killings, but that they were not acting on the orders of Hamas's political leadership, saying: "We learned about these confessions from the Israeli investigation … Hamas political leadership was not aware of all these details." |