Jerusalem District Police arrested a 22-year-old resident of Ganei Modi'in on Sunday evening on suspicion of assaulting a nine-year-old Armenian Christian boy with pepper spray in Jerusalem's Mamilla area on Yom Kippur.
The arrest was carried out by officers from the Lev Habira and David precincts, in cooperation with detectives from the Safed police station in the Northern District.
According to police, the suspect allegedly approached the child and sprayed him with pepper spray.
The victim, identified as William, was riding his bicycle while listening to music through headphones when the incident occurred.
According to Channel 13, William was approached by individuals who demanded that he lower the volume of his music. After complying with the request, he was allegedly sprayed in the eyes as he rode past the attacker.
In an interview with Channel 13, William recalled that the attacker had concealed the pepper spray behind his back before spraying both him and a friend.
Two women who witnessed the incident called an ambulance, and the child's mother subsequently arrived at the scene.
William's mother told Channel 13 that her son had experienced difficulty sleeping following the assault. The boy also described his fear of another attack, saying that he had begun wearing a helmet on his way home from school.
Channel 13 reported that the family had initially filed a police complaint, but the case was closed shortly afterward. Following the news report about the incident, police reopened the investigation.
According to Sunday's police statement, investigators carried out extensive investigative activities, collecting evidence from the scene and reconstructing the incident together with the child's father.
Intelligence-gathering efforts subsequently led police to identify the suspect, who had been staying in northern Israel in recent days.
The suspect is being transferred to the Lev Habira police station in Jerusalem, where he is expected to undergo questioning throughout the night regarding the circumstances of the incident and the motive behind the alleged assault.
Police said that, depending on developments in the investigation, they will consider bringing the suspect before a court on Monday for a hearing on a request to extend his detention.