Share

Israel identifies body of missing US student

Jerusalem - Israeli police say a recently found body has been identified after a forensic investigation as that of a US religious student who disappeared while hiking in Jerusalem last week.

Police spokesperson Luba Samri says the body was confirmed early on Friday morning to be that of seminary student Aharon Sofer. She says "there is no suspicion of foul play", meaning Sofer's death was not a militant attack or a criminal attack.

Samri had no further details on how Sofer died.

The body was found on Thursday night in the same area where Sofer disappeared last week. The 23-year-old Sofer, of Lakewood, New Jersey, had been hiking with a friend in a hilly, forested area on the outskirts of Jerusalem.

Sofer's parents had flown to Israel to assist with the search.
We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should the Proteas pick Faf du Plessis for the T20 World Cup in West Indies and the United States in June?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Faf still has a lot to give ...
67% - 814 votes
No! It's time to move on ...
33% - 407 votes
Vote
Rand - Dollar
18.86
+0.8%
Rand - Pound
23.61
+0.8%
Rand - Euro
20.24
+0.8%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.33
+0.6%
Rand - Yen
0.12
+1.5%
Platinum
924.60
-0.1%
Palladium
976.00
-1.5%
Gold
2,348.14
+0.7%
Silver
27.62
+0.7%
Brent-ruolie
89.01
+1.1%
Top 40
69,176
+1.1%
All Share
75,109
+1.1%
Resource 10
62,708
+1.0%
Industrial 25
103,837
+1.3%
Financial 15
15,937
+0.9%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE