A man in his 30s from Jerusalem attempted this morning (Sunday) to set a 12-year-old boy on fire during a bus ride on Route 375, near Beitar Illit.
According to police, the background to the incident is a prior dispute between the suspect and the child’s father. The boy, who was on his way to an educational institution in Beitar Illit, was lightly injured in his hands.
At a certain point, the bus driver noticed what was happening, stopped the bus, and allowed passengers to flee. The suspect tried to use the stop to escape but was apprehended by an officer from the Yehuda Border Police operational unit (“Arrow Yehuda") and IDF soldiers who were in the area.
Initial investigation revealed that the suspect boarded the bus carrying a bottle containing a flammable substance, after preparing in advance for the act. Police noted that “only by sheer luck did he not succeed in carrying out his plan to completion."
The suspect was arrested and transferred for questioning at the Etzion police station in the Judea district. Police said they will request an extension of his detention, and at this stage it appears the motive is criminal, stemming from a dispute between him and the victim’s father.