Police announce the arrest of a man who allegedly pepper-sprayed a 9-year-old Armenian Christian boy in Jerusalem’s Mamilla area on Yom Kippur for riding a bike and wearing headphones on the holy day.
The suspect is identified as a 22-year-old from the Haredi-majority settlement of Ganei Modi’in, near Jerusalem.
Police say the suspect was arrested in northern Israel, where he has been for several days.
The suspect is being taken to a police station in Jerusalem, where he will be interrogated overnight, police say, adding that depending on the results of the interrogation, he may be brought before a court tomorrow to have his detention extended.
“Israel Police views with great gravity acts of violence and bullying against minors — especially those carried out with a nationalist or racist motive,” police say.
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
— Gabriella Jacobs, multimedia journalist
Support our work
Support our work
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
From the Liveblog of
Sunday, September 27, 2026
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
