Israeli police 'reopen' probe into pepper-spray attack on Armenian boy Israeli police have reopened investigation into the pepper-spraying of a nine-year-old Armenian Christian boy in Jerusalem, after closing it despite the assault being capture on security cameras, according to Israeli journalist Yossi Eli. "Following my exposé and the shock from what happened to William, the police have reopened the case and will collect the cameras. If this weren't so sad, it would be gratifying that the police only work like this," Eli wrote on X. The boy, identified only as William, was riding his bicycle near the Mamilla neighbourhood on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, while listening to music through headphones. A group of men approached him and demanded he remove his headphones, which he did. After hearing him speak English, one of the men said, "No English, Jews," before spraying him with pepper spray. A video shared by Eli shows William seen crying inside an ambulance as his mother reassures him that his younger sister, Arev, is safe. Eli reported that this was the second attack on William. In the first, he was accompanied by his father, who intervened to protect him; this time, he was alone. תיראו מופתעים: בעקבות החשיפה שלי והזעזוע ממה שקרה לוויליאם, המשטרה פתחה מחדש את התיק ותאסוף את המצלמות. אם זה לא היה עצוב זה היה שמח שהמשטרה עובדת רק ככה😢 https://t.co/VzixQQkT3T September 25, 2026
Israeli police have reopened investigation into the pepper-spraying of a nine-year-old Armenian Christian boy in Jerusalem, after closing it despite the assault being capture on security cameras, according to Israeli journalist Yossi Eli.
"Following my exposé and the shock from what happened to William, the police have reopened the case and will collect the cameras. If this weren't so sad, it would be gratifying that the police only work like this," Eli wrote on X.
The boy, identified only as William, was riding his bicycle near the Mamilla neighbourhood on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar, while listening to music through headphones.
A group of men approached him and demanded he remove his headphones, which he did. After hearing him speak English, one of the men said, "No English, Jews," before spraying him with pepper spray.
A video shared by Eli shows William seen crying inside an ambulance as his mother reassures him that his younger sister, Arev, is safe.
Eli reported that this was the second attack on William. In the first, he was accompanied by his father, who intervened to protect him; this time, he was alone.
תיראו מופתעים: בעקבות החשיפה שלי והזעזוע ממה שקרה לוויליאם, המשטרה פתחה מחדש את התיק ותאסוף את המצלמות. אם זה לא היה עצוב זה היה שמח שהמשטרה עובדת רק ככה😢 https://t.co/VzixQQkT3T