Haredi teenager arrested in connection with J'lem arsons

Following rash of fires in Mea Shearim, 16-year-old ultra-Orthodox boy is taken into custody; five blazes broke out on Shavuot alone.

By MELANIE LIDMAN
Mea Shearim 311 (photo credit: Marc Israel Sellem)
Mea Shearim 311
(photo credit: Marc Israel Sellem)
A 16-year old haredi teenage boy was arrested late on Thursday night in connection with a rash of arson in the ultra-orthodox neighborhood of Mea Shaarim over the past week. There were almost 15 separate instances of small fires set by the arsonist, including seven on Thursday.
Over Shavuot, five fires broke out between midnight and 4:00 AM in three different places on Joseph Karo Street and two places on Reichman Street.
RELATED:Arsonist strikes ultra-Orthodox Jewish neighborhoodWhite House mosque arson condemned
Given that they were already in the area, firefighters responded immediately to each report of a new blaze and they were put out rapidly before major damage was caused. There were no injuries in any of the fires, though firefighters noted that gas canisters and gas lines were in close proximity to many of the sites. “This could end in tragedy,” a statement from the firefighters warned before the boy was apprehended.
The teenager, allegedly a resident of the ultra-orthodox neighborhood of Sanhedria, was indicted on Friday morning at the Jerusalem Magistrates Court.