Young boy arrested for calling in fake terror incidents
15-year-old from Beit Shemesh arrested after calling in several fake terror incidents, causing police and emergency services to deploy in large forces.
Officers from the Beit Shemesh police station arrested a 15-year-old boy on Friday, for allegedly making calling in several false reports of terror attacks and suspicions individuals in recent weeks. The boy claimed the calls were conducted as a practical joke.
Police received an urgent call regarding a suspected terror attack in Beit Shemesh on Thursday night. Large police forces began searching the suspected scene and found nothing. An initial investigation revealed that the person, who had called in the incident, a young man from the city, had phoned in the attack as a joke.
It was later discovered that this was not the first time he had phoned in false reports, sending officers on wild goose chases. Upon questioning he revealed that he had conducted several calls in recent weeks, all reports of suspicious persons or terror incidents. The calls caused several deployments of police and emergency personal, leading them to prioritize the unknowingly false reports over real emergency incidents.
The police have opened an investigation into the incidents in order to prosecute the young man. The Jerusalem District Police responded saying, "The police call on citizens to act responsibly and avoid prank calls of false reports. Public awareness has proved itself to be life saving in several incidents, and the police treat every call seriously
