From the Liveblog of
Sunday, August 30, 2026
Police say British activist arrested and in custody after settlers detained him near Umm al-Kheir
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Police say the British activist seen led away by armed settlers in the southern West Bank’s Umm al-Kheir yesterday was arrested following an interrogation.
The man, identified as Finn Joughin, was detained by the head of a security squad “of one of the settlements next to Ma’on on suspicion of committing an indecent act against a minor,” police say, stressing that this was “contrary to baseless claims about an abduction.”
Footage filmed by settlers indicates the settlement whose security chief snatched the activist is Barkai, an illegal offshoot of the recognized Hebron-area settlement of Ma’on.
The interrogation of the British national “included, among others, the taking of testimonies that indicated a suspicion of a case of assaulting a minor,” police say in response to a query. “The suspect was arrested at the end of his interrogation and the investigation of the case is ongoing.”
The activist was performing so-called “protective presence” with Palestinians.
The footage filmed by the settlers showed him using his body to try and block a Jewish child who tries to cross a fence into Umm al-Kheir.
במהלך השבת, אנרכיסט זר בשם Finn Joughin, הטריד מינית ילד יהודי בן 10, תוך כדי שהוא מונע ממנו לעבור בשכונה שלו, ביישוב כרמל. (גם התיעוד שלנו מתחיל באיחור, התקיפה המינית המשמעותית יותר קרתה לפני שנדלקה המצלמה).
מבוגרים שנכחו במקום נאלצו להרחיק אותו באופן פיזי עד שתגיע משטרה וכרגע… pic.twitter.com/tFthfuO36z
— ככה זה עובד (@thatshow_itwork) August 29, 2026
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