Authorities arrested an Arab Israeli man in the Sheik Jarrah neighborhood of east Jerusalem Tuesday afternoon after torching an Orthodox Jewish resident’s car, in what police describe as a private dispute that was in no way terrorist-related.According to Police spokesperson Shmulik Ben-Ruby, the incident took place shortly after noon, when the suspect, an unidentified 25-year-old Arab man who resides in the north but keeps an apartment in the neighborhood, ignited the vehicle.“We arrested the suspect a few minutes after the incident when concerned residents called police upon seeing the car set on fire,” said Ben-Ruby Tuesday. “This was a personal dispute between the two individuals and the suspect will be arraigned tomorrow.”The victim, whom Ben-Ruby described as a 35-year-old Orthodox man, was unharmed during the incident and police were able to extinguish the fire before the car was destroyed.Ben-Ruby said he could not discuss any further details of the case until after the suspect is arraigned Wednesday morning.Tensions in Sheik Jarrah have been heightened since Arab residents held a vigil Thursday to protest what they claim are “violent evictions from their homes, the taking over of the neighborhood by the settlers, and the Judaization of east Jerusalem.”
(photo credit: The Jerusalem Post)