Several Jewish suspects have been arrested Israel over the murder of Palestinian teenager Mohammed Abu Khdair, whose death sparked days of violent protests.

Mohammed Abu Khdair, 16, was abducted on Wednesday morning and found dead hours later, was killed “because of his nationality”.

He had reportedly been burnt to death.

Earlier, the bodies of three murdered Israeli students were found. Mohammed Abu Khdair’s family believes he was murdered in revenge.

Several Jewish suspects have been arrested Israel over the murder of Palestinian teenager Mohammed Abu Khdair

Israel’s Shin Bet security agency issued a brief statement confirming the arrests, and said the suspects were being questioned at one of their facilities.

“In the wake of intelligence and operational information, the Israel Police and the ISA [Shin Bet] this morning arrested several Jewish suspects regarding the 2 July abduction and murder of Mohammed Abu Khdair,” the statement said.

The agency did not comment on any possible motive for the killing, saying details of the case were subject to a judicial gag order.

Several Israeli media outlets have reported that one of the six suspects has confessed to the killing.

The reports also claimed that the individual had given police information about the other suspects, but this has not yet been confirmed by officials.

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would respond to the killings “with a firm hand”.

“We do not differentiate between the terrorists,” he said.

“We will not allow extremists from wherever they come to ignite the region and shed more blood.”

Thousands attended Mohammed Abu Khdair’s funeral on Friday near the family’s home in the Shufat district of East Jerusalem.

Hundreds of Palestinian youths clashed with Israeli police in East Jerusalem before and after the funeral.

Huge controversy was sparked when mobile-phone footage emerged showing two officers repeatedly beating a teenager suspected of taking part in the violence.

The teenager was Tariq Khdair, a 15-year-old Palestinian-American who is also a cousin of Mohammed Abu Khdair.

Tariq Khdair was bailed after appearing in court on Sunday, accused of attacking police officers during the unrest.

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A US teenager was beaten while in Israeli police custody in East Jerusalem.

Tariq Khdair, 15, from Florida, is a cousin of Mohammed Abu Khdair, the Palestinian 16-year-old whose abduction and murder has triggered riots.

The US State Department says it is “profoundly troubled” by reports.

Israeli officials say they are looking into the incident. Police say the youth was among a group attacking officers.

However, Tariq Khdair’s family denies that he was involved in the violence.

Tariq Khdair’s cousin, Mohammed Abu Khdair, was abducted and murdered in Jerusalem

Unrest has spread from East Jerusalem to several Arab-Israeli towns after reports that an initial post-mortem examination found Mohammed Abu Khdair had been burned alive.

Mobile phone footage taken during Palestinian protests on Thursday appears to show two Israeli border policemen holding down Tariq Khdair on wasteland in East Jerusalem.

The footage shows one of the officers punching the teenager in the head before the boy is taken away. Photographs taken later show him with a severely swollen face.

US State Department spokeswoman Jennifer Psaki said Tariq Khdair, who is still in custody, was visited by a consulate official on Saturday.

“We are profoundly troubled by reports that he was severely beaten while in police custody and strongly condemn any excessive use of force,” she said.

“We are calling for a speedy, transparent and credible investigation and full accountability for any excessive use of force.”

The Israeli Justice Ministry said the police investigations department was looking into the incident.

Thousands attended Mohammad Abu Khdair’s funeral on Friday near the family’s home in the Shufat district of East Jerusalem.

Mohammad Abu Khdair’s believes he was killed by Jewish extremists in revenge for the murders of three Israeli teenagers – Naftali Frenkel and Gilad Shaar, both aged 16, and 19-year-old Eyal Yifrach.

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