An American tourist is arrested for smashing ancient Roman statues at a museum in Israel

By ISABEL DEBRE
Associated Press

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli police have arrested an American tourist at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem after he hurled works of art to the floor, damaging two second-century Roman statues. The vandalism late Thursday raised questions about the safety of Israel’s priceless collections, as well as concern about a rise in attacks on cultural heritage in Jerusalem. Police identified the suspect as a radical 40-year-old Jewish American tourist. They said that initial questioning indicates the man smashed the marble statues because he considered them “to be idolatrous and contrary to the Torah.” The man’s lawyer denied that he had acted out of religious fanaticism.