Suspect arrested in pepper-spraying of Armenian child in Jerusalem

Israeli police announced 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 Times of Israel reported.

The suspect was 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.

“Israel Police views with great gravity acts of violence and bullying against minors — especially those carried out with a nationalist or racist motive,” The Times of Israel quoted police as saying.

Channel 13 journalist Yossi Eli earlier said on his X account that the boy, identified as William, was riding a bicycle near Jerusalem’s Mamilla neighborhood, listening to music through headphones. According to the journalist, a group of young people approached the child, threatened him and demanded that he remove his headphones, after which they sprayed him with pepper spray.

The journalist also published footage showing the child receiving medical assistance in an ambulance. He identified the attackers as Jewish extremists.

According to the journalist, this was the second attack against the child. During the first incident, William was with his father, who protected him, while the child was alone this time.