Jerusalem Court Orders House Arrest for Man Filmed Pointing Gun at Ultra-Orthodox Protesters

Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court ordered on Thursday that a man filmed pointing a handgun at ultra-Orthodox protesters on Route 1 be released to house arrest. He will remain under full house arrest until June 29 and is barred from contacting anyone involved in the case.

Police argued that the suspect posed a danger and that the episode was serious. Their representative said the man admitted what he had done, then changed his version after being shown video from the scene. According to police, he first claimed the gun was pointed downward, but the footage showed it aimed toward the protesters.

The defense said the incident lasted only seconds and involved no gunfire or cocking of the weapon. Counsel argued the gun was not taken out of its holster, the suspect’s finger was not on the trigger, and the weapon had already been removed from him. The lawyer said, “You can see this is a one-second incident, of someone perhaps venting anger, perhaps desperate.”

The judge said there was reasonable suspicion of an offense and that threatening someone with a weapon creates real danger. Still, he noted that the suspect has no criminal record, there is no real concern of obstructing the investigation, and the gun has already been seized. In his ruling, he also said the incident took place amid “tension and panic, when law enforcement authorities are not providing a response,” and described the road blockage as “a serious nuisance, which in itself also poses great danger to the public.” MK Meir Porush condemned the release, calling it a message of tolerance for violence against the ultra-Orthodox public.