Israeli security forces have arrested a suspect in connection with an arson attack on the Jerusalem synagogue of Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef, the country’s former chief Sephardic rabbi, Hebrew media reported on Monday.
The suspect, identified only as a man in his 20s, was transferred into custody of the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) by the Israel Police.
A judge imposed a gag order on the ongoing criminal investigation, and no further details can be reported at this time, according to the reports.
Despite the involvement of the Shin Bet, the suspect is not expected to be charged with any security offenses, according to Ynet.
Authorities believe there is a connection between the arson and the spray-painting of a cross in an apartment building near the synagogue, Israel’s Kan News public broadcaster reported.
Police and firefighting teams were called to the Or Habib synagogue in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Sanhedria on Sunday morning after a fire broke out at the site. Shortly before police were alerted to the arson, they received a report of the graffiti.
Israel’s National Fire and Rescue Authority subsequently announced that “after examining all the findings at the scene of the incident,” it “unequivocally determined” that the cause of the blaze was arson.
Yosef, 73, served as the Sephardic chief rabbi of the Jewish state between 2013 and 2024. Following the end of his term, he joined the leadership of the Shas Party, which was founded by his father, Ovadia Yosef.
Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Sunday condemned the arson attack as a “serious hate crime,” writing on X that “The burning of holy books, the spraying of crosses and the attempted burning of Torah scrolls at the Jerusalem synagogue of Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef are deeply shocking.”
“I call for swift and decisive action to investigate this serious hate crime and bring the perpetrators to justice,” Herzog added.
