A suspect has been arrested for attempting to set a 12-year-old child on fire while riding public transportation, Israel Police said in a Sunday statement.
Police received reports of an incident on a bus on Route 375 at around 8:45 a.m., after the suspect attempted to ignite the child using a flammable substance and a lighter they were holding.
Once the driver noticed what was happening, the bus was stopped to allow passengers to flee, police added.
After trying to flee the scene as well, the suspect was apprehended by an Israel Police Special Patrol Unit (YASAM) officer and IDF troops operating in the area.
The victim, a Jerusalem resident who was on his way to school in Beitar Illit, sustained only minor injuries to his hands.
Act allegedly stemmed from dispute between suspect, child's father
An initial investigation found that the suspect, a 30-year-old Jerusalem resident, boarded the bus with a bottle containing a "flammable substance," intending to commit some form of arson attack, according to Israel Police.
The suspect was arrested and brought in for further questioning at the Etzion police station, though police believe that the act stemmed from a "dispute between the suspect and the injured child’s father."
The investigation is ongoing, police concluded.