American teenager arrested for chaos at UCLA campus protesting in Gaza

Police have arrested a teenager accused of attacking pro-Palestinian protesters at a camp at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).

The attack three weeks ago led to a fight that ended after more than two hours, when police cleared the scene.

The arrest of 18-year-old Edan On appears to mark the first arrest of a protester in connection with the overnight chaos on campus.

Mr. On is said to be the person who, in widely shared photos and videos of the altercation, was seen wearing a white hoodie and mask and hitting protesters with a wooden pole.

Police have not identified the man they arrested, but arrest records show Mr. Wen was arrested by UCLA police on Thursday morning.

He was detained at a Beverly Hills business and is being held in the Los Angeles County jail.

He faces a felony charge of assault with a deadly weapon, according to the LA County Sheriff’s Department.

Mr. On’s mother initially said her son was the person seen in the video wearing a white mask at the protest campsite. as reported by CNN earlier this month, although she later said he denied being there.

She said Mr. On was in his final year of high school and planned to join the Israeli army.

His family declined to comment to American media on Friday.

An LA Police Department official told BBC News on Friday that he was out on bail and awaiting trial.

According to American media, his bond was set at $30,000 (£24,000).

A letter from the UCLA Office of Campus Safety on Friday confirmed that campus police detectives assisted in making “their first arrest in the ongoing investigation into The April 30 attacks occurred on our campus.”

UCLA is “committed to investigating all reported acts of violence and is actively working to identify additional perpetrators of violence related to protest activities,” the statement continued.

It added that “those who perpetrate violence on our communities will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law”.

The clash on April 30 lasted hours and led to fierce criticism of the university’s police force.

More than 200 pro-Palestinian protesters who did not leave the camp were later arrested.

Earlier this week, the university fired its police chief after he was criticized for failing to stop the violence.

College campuses across the United States have seen protest movements emerge against the war in Gaza.

But the violence at UCLA shocked Americans.

It came just hours after New York City police raided and cleared a Columbia University building taken over by students.

On Thursday, UCLA Chancellor Gene Block testified before Congress in Washington DC about the university’s response to the protests.

As he was speaking, protesters on campus set up a second encampment, barricaded themselves into buildings and committed acts of vandalism, the university said Friday.

Protesters were told to leave or face arrest, and they were “ready to disperse,” the university said, adding that no arrests were made.