Jerusalem: Armenian Christian boy pepper-sprayed by extremists

A 9-year-old Armenian Christian boy named William was pepper-sprayed by a group of Jewish extremists while riding his bicycle in Jerusalem during Yom Kippur. The incident occurred near the Mamilla neighborhood while the boy was wearing headphones.

According to reports, the group confronted the child and demanded he remove his headphones. Upon hearing him speak English, one individual reportedly shouted, “No English, Jews!” before spraying him with pepper spray.

While some reports indicated that police had previously closed a related case without arrests, the boy's parents later stated that a suspect has been apprehended by the Israel Police in connection with this specific attack. The incident follows a period of reported harassment against the Armenian community in Jerusalem, including previous incidents involving stone-throwing at the Armenian Cathedral of St. James.