An indictment is to be filed against a 35-year-old resident of the Israeli town of Bat Yam over animal abuse, the authorities announced following mass outrage over the online images showing his horrific actions.
The 35-year-old reportedly filmed himself furiously hitting a dog with his hands and a belt as he pinned the animal to the floor.
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According to the report, the man hit his ex-partner's dog after threatening her he would do so over their break up.
The video of the incident went viral, prompting outrage among animal rights defenders, who descended on the man's residence – a small apartment in Bat Yam – to take the dog away despite his protests and explanations that the animal was not his.
The crowd was led by Mishel Taroni, a prominent bodybuilder and an animal rights activist.
The abuse was reported to Israel's Agriculture Ministry by one of the animal defender groups, and the ministry relayed the information to Israel Police.
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Law enforcement officers arrived on the scene, forcing their way through the mob to arrest the man.
According to reports in the Israeli media, he had to be taken out of the building through a backdoor; a police spokesperson was cited as saying that Israelis were looking to serve justice themselves.
This article was first published by i24NEWS.
