Young man who committed horrific acts against children and women in ultra-Orthodox neighborhood arrested

February 6, 2025   

On the 22nd of Tevet, in the late afternoon, a suspect suspected of committing serious acts against young girls aged 5-11 and against women was arrested by police officers from the Lev Habira police station in the Jerusalem district. Five Stars: A Passover vacation like never before in the ultra-Orthodox sector The suspect, a city resident in his 20s, fled from a local resident who called for help for 11-year-old girls, whom he had committed a serious act against - and barricaded himself in the bathroom of a Torah school building. Local students who noticed him enter, alerted the police who were called, and the suspect was arrested. Shortly before this, a police report was received about the suspect's actions towards those 11-year-old girls, as they walked together in one of the alleys of their neighborhood - and made their way to a nearby business. Then the suspect passed by them and asked how to get to 'Shabbat Square', exposed himself to them, and later touched the body of one of the victims. Passersby who noticed the girls' distress began chasing the suspect and reported it to the police headquarters. After the suspect's arrest, investigators at the Lev Habira police station realized that they had a "gold mine" of criminal acts in their hands. The investigation revealed that the day before his arrest, a complaint was received from the Clalit Health Insurance Fund against a suspect whose identity was unknown, who had come to one of the fund's branches in Jerusalem several days earlier, and exploited the attention of several young girls there, and exposed himself to them. He later did this once more in front of the staff there - and then fled. It was also learned during the investigation and additional complaints received by the police after his arrest that in the morning hours of the 22nd of Tevet, a young woman about 19 years old passed the suspect, while he was sitting on a bench. At this point, the suspect turned to the young woman and asked how to get to the 'Sabbath Square' - and received an explanation from her. After she continued on her way, the suspect ran after her and called out to her. When she turned back, the suspect suggested that she commit a serious act, and even when she started shouting at him that she would call the police, he calmly replied: "Call me." In response to his actions, the victim began to run away from the scene, and later that day she arrived at the police station and reported it. Later that day, at noon, the suspect again acted against minors and another woman: In one case - when a 7-year-old girl returned from school with her school bag in hand, the suspect offered to help her up the stairs of her apartment building. At a certain point, and next to the door of her house, he exposed himself to her. The minor burst into tears, and the suspect placed his hand over her mouth and tried to take off her clothes. According to her testimony, at this point the victim closed her eyes in order not to see what was happening to her - and burst into tears. In a private incident, the victim's mother heard her crying and immediately opened the door of the house, at which point the suspect began to flee and escaped. In another case, a very short time later, two girls, about 11 years old, arrived at the house of one of them, panting and stressed. The victim's mother quickly inquired about their behavior and they said that a suspicious person had asked them where the "Sabbath Square" was and then continued following them, revealing himself to them, so they ran home with the terrifying thought that he was following them. The brave mother went back out into the street with them, in order to locate the suspect - and report it to the police. During a search of the nearby streets, the little girls suddenly noticed the suspect and pointed at him to their mother: "There he is." The suspect immediately took off his pants, exposed himself and made an indecent offer to their mother. With great resourcefulness, the mother turned the girls' heads back, ordered them to move away and at the same time began shouting at him, which caused him to flee the scene. [Gallery]

Documentation of the suspect during the terror campaign and his arrest I Photo: Police spokeswoman

After the suspect was arrested by the police at the Lev Habira police station in the heart of the Haredi neighborhood, and as part of the numerous, sensitive and professional investigative actions of police investigators and child investigators from the Ministry of Labor, Welfare and Social Services in the Jerusalem District, numerous testimonies and evidence were collected against the suspect - whose detention was extended from time to time in court. In recent days, an evidentiary foundation has been formed in the many investigation cases against him, and at the latest detention extension hearing held yesterday (Wednesday), a prosecutor's statement was submitted by the Jerusalem Attorney General's Office regarding the intention to file an indictment against him in the coming days. His detention was extended until Sunday.