A 26-year-old man has been arrested after a Jewish boy was shot in the head with an air rifle.
The suspect is alleged to have shouted abuse at the teenager as he walked to a synagogue before firing the weapon.
The victim was struck in the forehead but suffered superficial injuries in the attack in the East Cliff area of Bournemouth.
The shooting happened on the same weekend that several homes owned by Jewish people in the same area were daubed in Nazi swastikas.
Police are treating both attacks as hate crime incidents and have arrested a man from Ferndown, Dorset, for the air rifle shooting.
The suspect was arrested on suspicion of assault and possession of an imitation firearm in a public place.
He has since been released on police bail as an investigation continues.
Detective Chief Inspector Nicola Jenkins, of Dorset Police, said: ‘We have been carrying out extensive enquiries as part of our investigation and have now made an arrest in connection with the incident.
‘Enquiries are ongoing, and I would ask anyone who has not already spoken to police and has information that may assist our investigation to please come forward.
‘We understand the concern that this incident has caused to members of the community and we are continuing to liaise with them to provide updates and reassurance.
‘We are also continuing to support and update the victims with the progress of the investigation.’
Anyone with information is asked to contact Dorset Police online or by calling 101, quoting occurrence number 55250125864.
Alternatively, independent charity Crimestoppers can be contacted anonymously online using its website or by calling Freephone 0800 555 111.
Hours ahead of the air gun attack, nearby homes of a number of Bournemouth’s prominent Jews were graffitied with Nazi swastikas in an overnight attack.
One of the properties was the home of Rabbi Benzion Alperowitz – who discovered that the emblem had been spray-painted on his house as he set off to the synagogue on Saturday morning with two of his five children, daughters aged ten and seven.
Rabbi Alperowitz said: ‘As I walked out of my door with my children we discovered that some cowards had visited our home and decorated it.
‘This is very upsetting and alarming and we have been in touch with the police and they are trying to track down the perpetrators who did this.
‘We should be proud of who we are and never allow these forces of darkness and evil to instill fear in our hearts.’
Several other homes on Manor Road were also graffitied in the same manner.
Rabbi Alperowitz said: ‘Jewish people should feel safe to walk around in Bournemouth. I was born and grew up here, and this is not the Bournemouth I know.
‘We all together are responsible to bring back Bournemouth to what it truly is – a place of kindness, a place of unity, and everyone has a part in that.’
In a video to members to fellow Jews, Rabbi Alperowitz told them: ‘Be proud to be Jewish and never allow these forces of darkness and forces of evil to instil fear into our hearts.’
Rabbi Alan Lewis of the Bournemouth Hebrew Congregation, said the attacks had left the community shocked.
He noted that all the homes targeted with swastikas were houses which followed tradition by displaying the Jewish mezuzah scroll, sometimes seen as a protection against evil, beside their front doors.
Rabbi Lewis said: ‘The young man who was shot is a religious Jew who was wearing a skull cap. It was very obvious he was Jewish.
‘Then several people living on Manor Road woke up to find that Swastikas had been painted on their homes.
‘The homes had a mezuzah outside so it was obvious that Jewish people lived there.
‘We are well aware of what is going on in the world, but this is very shocking because the majority of the members of the Jewish community are retired people.’
The Board of Deputies of British Jews’ vice president Andrew Gilbert said: ‘These hateful attacks on people and property in Bournemouth are extremely concerning.
‘We have been informed that the police are investigating and hope that the perpetrators will be arrested and face the full force of the law.’
The Jewish charity the Community Security Trust says there were 1,521 anti-Semitic incidents across Britain in the first half of the year, the second highest ever recorded.
A spokesman said: ‘CST is appalled by a series of anti-Jewish hate crimes in Bournemouth over the weekend.
‘These are abhorrent acts of racism that are deeply distressing for the Jewish community and should alarm everybody.’
A survey of Jewish teachers last month revealed more than half had suffered abuse – with swastikas and chants of ‘Free Palestine’ becoming more frequent.
A police spokesman said: ‘Dorset Police takes hate crime extremely seriously and a full investigation is under way to identify those responsible.
‘Enquiries are being carried out to establish whether the incidents are linked.’
