A teenager was arrested in Haifa over the weekend in possession of a Molotov cocktail he claimed he wanted to test out after learning to make the incendiary weapon on popular social network TikTok.
The 15-year-old was spotted with the explosive by Haifa Police's Juvenile Unit in a public park Friday night at around midnight. Officers searched his belongings and found the Molotov cocktail, along with a lighter and a pair of gloves.
In his interrogation, the teen said that he learned to make the homemade bomb through a tutorial on TikTok and decided to build one out of curiosity about whether it would catch fire.
The teen said that he intended to throw the explosive at a sandy surface that was used to light campfires before. Officers estimate using the explosive could have sparked a major fire judging by the amount of fuel the container held.
The teen was brought before a court Saturday evening and was released on probation. He was to remain under house arrest until Monday and prohibited from contacting three of his friends who were with him at the time of his arrest.
The police said the other teens had no connection to the suspect’s action.
Haifa Police chief Superintendent Haim Azrad he and his officers were working to keep teenagers away from trouble as many of them roam the streets during summer break.
“We are working at all times, using uniformed and plainclothed forces, to minimize the involvement of teenagers in illegal activities during the summer," he said.
"This is done in order to prevent incidents of violence and disturbing the public order. This is an important endeavor that helped prevent a serious incident that could have ended in harm to other teenagers.”