The Jerusalem District Court ruled on Monday that an 18-year-old east Jerusalem man charged with the attempted murder of a soldier will be remanded in custody for the duration of the legal proceedings against him.

The defendant, Muhammad Shuman from the Beit Hanina neighborhood, was indicted for attempted murder last week, after he allegedly stabbed a soldier on the Jerusalem Light Rail earlier this month.

The soldier, 19-year-old Yehudit Aharon, was stabbed several times in the upper body while traveling to her base via the light rail on March 15. She was transferred to Shaare Zedek Medical Center in serious condition and was released last Thursday.

The stab wounds missed her heart by a few centimeters, which doctors called “a miracle.”

The prosecution requested that the court remand Shuman in custody during his criminal trial, arguing that he presented a flight risk because he tried to escape to Palestinian Authority-controlled territories after the attack.

Judge Ram Winograd said the existence of prima facie evidence allegedly linking Shuman to the events was not in dispute. (© 1995- 2011, The Jerusalem Post 04/03/12)