16-Year-Old Terror Boss Ran Brutal Protection Racket Inside Jerusalem-Area School

Following a Channel 13 News exposé, a 16-year-old boy from a community near Jerusalem was arrested Thursday morning on suspicion of running a systematic extortion operation against middle-school students.

Police say the suspect terrorized victims with threats of violence, demanded regular payments, and in some cases falsely promised them “protection” in exchange for money, while forcing several victims to threaten or extort others to meet his demands.Investigators revealed that some of the underage victims took loans from friends or family members to pay him, while others were allegedly coerced into committing improper or threatening acts against classmates to raise the cash.

Israel Police stated: “We treat any case of extortion in the utmost seriousness, especially when minors are involved. This case, investigated by the Harel station, points to systematic behavior involving ongoing threats and pressure on children to obtain money, a grave criminal offense that directly harms the sense of safety of young people.”

The arrest comes a week after Channel 13 first reported that three 8th- and 9th-grade students in Jerusalem operated a similar “protection racket” inside their school, threatening classmates with violence unless they paid 300 NIS each. Those students were suspended and the school filed a police complaint, prompting the wider investigation that led to today’s arrest.

Police have asked to extend the 16-year-old suspect’s remand. The investigation is ongoing.

Channel 13 contributed to this article.