Tel Aviv - Israeli police late Monday arrested the Acre Arab whose drive through a Jewish neighbourhood last week on the eve of the Day of Atonement sparked fierce rioting in the mixed Arab-Jewish city in northern Israel.

Jamal Taufik was remanded in custody, Israel Radio reported, on suspicion of speeding and harming religious sensitivities.

Toufik has apologized for the incident, which occurred Wednesday night, and has denied that he blared loud music from his car as a provocation as he drove.

The Day of Atonement, or Yom Kippur, is the holiest and most solemn day on the Hebrew calender, when Israel comes to an almost total standstill.

Jewish residents saw the Arab's drive through their neighbourhood as a deliberate provocation and desecration of the holy day and threw stones at the car, at Toufik behind the wheel and at Toufik's 18- year-old son, who was a passenger.

Responding to a spreading rumour that Jews had attacked or even killed an Arab and to calls over mosque loudspeakers to react, hundreds of Arab residents streamed toward the neighbourhood, wreaking havoc while passing through Acre's mainly Jewish pedestrian shopping street.

The following night, dozens of Jewish residents in turn gathered at the entrance to the town's Arab neighbourhoods as the holiday ended after sunset Thursday. They were blocked by police, who prevented the crowd from storming the Arab neighbourhoods. Youths from both sides hurled rocks during the clashes.

Witnesses said the Arab rioters shouted "Allahu Akbar" (God is great) and "Death to the Jews," while the Jewish rioters yelled "Death to the Arabs."

By Sunday, police had arrested 54 rioters, and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said that residents of Acre were being held hostage by extremists on both sides.

On Sunday, Acre's Arab leaders released a proclamation apologizing for Taufik's actions. (dpa)