A Jerusalem man was caught on Friday for dropping inflammable liquid and setting it on fire at the Church of All Nations in Jerusalem, causing minor injury.
According to the police report, the act created minor destruction to one pew and the mosaic floor. A keeper at the scene captured the suspect till police appeared. The suspect was arrested soon after him. Police stated that the initial investigation reveals that the defendant had criminal purposes.
The perpetrator, a 49-year-old Jewish inhabitant of Jerusalem, was restrained by a security guard until police arrived. As per to a later statement, authorities appear to consider the offence had more criminal motives instead of any political agenda.
The All Nations Church is on the Mount of Olives near the Garden of Gethsemane. Also recognised as the Basilica of the Agony, it is a Roman Catholic church and is observed by the Custody of the Holy Land, a Franciscan order, on account of the Vatican.
It is one of Christianity’s holiest places; as per to Christian tradition, Jesus appeared at the place before he was captured by the Romans prior to his execution.
The Custodia Terrae Sanctae, the local representative of the Catholic Church, issued a statement in which they “strongly denounced this shocking, offensive and intentional act, which was brought out in such a sacred and precious habitat for hundreds of millions of Christians in the Holy Land and in the world.”
The statement continued, “To our disappointment, churches and Christian places during the Holy Land bore witness to several hate crimes over past years.
The Custodia terms on the police to bring out a severe and thorough examination of the situation and to ignore fast judgments about the motives.
Wadie Abu Nassar, the spokesperson for the Assembly of Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy Land, stated that they are thankful to God that the damage was minimalistic and no person was injured.