Police detain 5 knife-wielding Ashkelon teens searching for ‘scary clowns’

Authorities see growing trend of fake clowns lurking in public parks accompanied by counter-trend of gangs of armed youths searching for them

Screenshot from the movie 'It,' thought to have helped inspire copycat clowns in towns across Israel, September 2017. (Screen capture: YouTube)
Screenshot from the movie 'It,' thought to have helped inspire copycat clowns in towns across Israel, September 2017. (Screen capture: YouTube)

Five teens in the southern city of Ashkelon were detained by police after knives and sticks were found in their possession.

The teens, aged 13 to 16, reportedly told police they carried the weapons in case they encountered “scary clowns.”

Police are in the midst of a nationwide crackdown targeting a growing trend of youths dressing as scary clowns and lurking in the shadows in city parks and alongside roads at night — and a counter-fashion of gangs of other youths setting out at night to search for the impostor clowns armed with clubs and knives.

According to police, both phenomena are illegal.

“We will deal severely with these violent incidents,” read a Sunday statement by police, referring to the “scary clown” pranks. “We will not allow the public to be harmed, frightened or harassed, or to have daily life disrupted.”

Scary mask and plastic ax confiscated by police from a youth in Jerusalem, October 6, 2017. (Israel Police)

The statement also included a warning to the clown-hunting gangs. “At the same time, the police won’t allow anyone to take the law into their own hands. Actions like these will be met with uncompromising enforcement.”

In a Facebook post on Tuesday, police described the recent phenomenon as part of an “international trend that has gathered momentum on social media” and said they had detained “many youths” dressed up as clowns throughout the country.

And in a statement Saturday, police called the recent behavior “irresponsible,” and urged teenagers not to take part in the pranks.

Police statements have called on parents to ensure “their children are not taking part in the phenomenon, which may embroil them in criminal proceedings.” The statements also warned that the clowns could be mistaken for a “credible threat” and end with the teenagers being harmed by bystanders. Police asked the public “not to take the law into its hands and not to harm the youths” since the majority of their antics did not result in any harm to people or property.

The phenomenon is said to be inspired by the recently released horror movie “It” based on a Stephen King novel and featuring the clown character Pennywise.

The latest detentions follow others in recent days that showed the clown phenomenon spreading among a diverse cross-section of Israeli teenagers.

Clown mask and plastic gun confiscated from teenager in Nazareth Illit, October 6, 2017. (Israel police)

Police on Saturday detained for questioning two teenagers from the Arab and Druze city of Shfaram in northern Israel after discovering costume masks and a screwdriver during a search of their vehicle in Kiryat Yam.

The two teens, a 17-year-old and a 19-year-old, attempted to flee the scene, according to police, but were apprehended.

Overnight Friday-Saturday, police were called to a public park in the settlement of Ma’ale Adumin in the West Bank, near Jerusalem, where residents said they had spotted youths with clown masks.

Police detained five youths and a search revealed at least two clown masks and suits. The police said the teens’ parents were called to the station.

Over the Jewish holiday of Sukkot on Wednesday and into the weekend, police detained at least a dozen youths and confiscated a variety of weapons as the crackdown continued.

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