Twenty youths, 18 boys and two girls, went on trial here today before a British military court on charges of collective possession of four hand grenades, two rifles, two sub-machineguns, fourteen revolvers and a quantity of ammunition and explosives.
All of the defendants were hand-cuffed, and the feet of two were chained. The defense protested against these procautions, especially since six armed constables guarded the prisoners. It is understood that the accused are not members of the Irgun Zvai Leumi.
In his opening addrees, the prosecutor said that the youths were arrested early on the morning of Aug. 16, near Benjamina, south of Haifa, when a police patrol noticed signs of an over-night camp in a forest clearing. They immediately took all of the defendants into custody, but did not search the spot until later, when the arms were discovered.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
