A 15-year-old Ashdod resident who said he was researching citizens' reactions upon encountering a masked gunman was seized by gun-wielding police officers on Monday.
Only after apprehending the teen did the officers realize he was not a suicide bomber.
The hooded teen, with binoculars hanging from his neck, stirred panic when he arrived at an area near the city's "Kalaniyot Mall" dressed in his father's fatigues and carrying a toy gun and a large rucksack.
"Dozens of residents thought he was a suicide bomber," Ashdod police commander Chief Superintendent Danny Elgarat told Ynet. "They thought his rucksack contained an explosive device, and many of them called police headquarters. There was a lot of commotion."
Large police forces rushed to the scene and, relying on the witness' statements regarding a masked man armed with a gun prowling the streets, began preparing for dealing with a terror attack. Officers began conducting searches throughout the neighborhoods, which culminated when the suspect was spotted in one of the city's quarters.
Officers pulled out their weapons and called on the youth to freeze. Had he attempted to flee, he would have unquestionably been shot.
The teen, who was taken into custody on suspicion of impersonating a soldier and disturbing the peace, said "I just wanted to get an A+ on my research paper."
In his police statement the teen said the residents' reactions varied from "fear and excitement to sheer bewilderment."
Following his interrogation the teen was released on bail and handed over to juvenile probation services. Police said no further legal measures would be taken against him.
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