Jerusalem police arrested two Arab teenagers from the village of Issawiya on suspicion that they started several brush fires near an IDF base adjacent to the Hadassah Mount Scopus hospital in Jerusalem. One of the suspects confessed to the crime, reenacted it and implicated his friend.
The two will face a remand hearing at the Jerusalem Magistrate's Court later on Thursday.
Related stories:
- Last week, a brush fire at an IDF base in Mount Scopus left one soldier moderately injured and 13 others lightly wounded after suffering smoke inhalation. Police suspected that east Jerusalem teens had thrown burning firecrackers at the base.
Firefighters were dispatched and contained the flames while the soldiers were rushed to the Hadassah Mount Scopus hospital.
The blaze spread at the height of a massive heat wave. Sources at Jerusalem's Fire Services claim they have been witnessing a wave of nationalistically-motivated arsons recently.
An examination carried out by Jerusalem's Fire Services spokesman indicates that 284 incidents have been logged as "brush fires or open area fires" since the beginning of the month.