Man arrested over arson attack on Jerusalem Haredi phone store

A man has been arrested in connection with an arson attack that gutted a cellphone store in Jerusalem earlier this month, police said Sunday.

The suspect, in his 20s, was arrested at his home in the central city of Beit Shemesh.

He was set to appear in court later on Monday for a hearing on his detention.

No injuries were reported in the October 3 fire, but the store was destroyed and several adjacent businesses were damaged.

At the time of the fire, the shop’s owner claimed his business was attacked over his refusal to stop selling a certain device deemed by some to be “non-kosher.”

Many ultra-Orthodox Jews, or Haredim, use “kosher” phones — either older devices that lack internet access or smartphones with restricted access to certain websites, apps and features like social media and texting — on the instruction of rabbis.

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The issue and its regulation are largely controlled by a body called the Rabbinic Committee for Communications, which holds strong leverage over the “kosher” cellphone business across the country, as well as powerful tools that have societal and commercial effects.

The fire erupted at a store called Kosher Phone, located in the ultra-Orthodox Geula neighborhood in the capital. Similar incidents have been reported in the city before, especially at businesses that have refused to cooperate with the committee.

The shop’s owner was certain he was targeted by extremists after recently losing a certificate provided by the rabbinic committee.

Owner Itzhak Deri, 26, said he used to work closely with the committee and adhere to its instructions. But his refusal to stop selling a smartphone deemed by the committee as “non-kosher” meant losing a certificate issued by the committee and widely accepted by the community as necessary for operating cellphone stores in Haredi neighborhoods.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.