Police arrest reservist who tried to shoot Arab man in Jerusalem

Police say a reservist soldier who went “on a mission” to shoot someone of “Arab origin” was arrested after firing at a victim in Jerusalem.

A police statement says the incident occurred on August 9, when the 34-year-old suspect left home “with the weapon he held as part of his reserve service.”

The suspect “was on a mission to search for a victim of Arab origin” in a park in west Jerusalem, the statement says. “When the suspect identified a potential victim, he made the individual sit on a bench by the side of the road and began questioning him while holding the weapon against his body.

“After the suspect was convinced that the person was of Arab origin, he aimed his weapon and attempted to shoot. However, the victim managed to escape without injury.”

The suspect was arrested a few days later and told authorities “he fired the weapon to intimidate the victim,” the statement says, adding that “an indictment is expected to be filed against him in the coming days.”