Museum photos show the marble head of the goddess Athena knocked off its pedestal onto the floor, and a statue of a pagan deity shattered into fragments.
An American tourist has been arrested after allegedly smashing two second-century Roman statues at the Israel Museum - with his lawyer claiming he was experiencing a mental disorder called 'Jerusalem syndrome'. Israeli police have said initial questioning suggests the Jewish-American suspect destroyed the statues in Jerusalem because he considered them to be 'idolatrous and contrary to the Torah'. The Torah is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible.
Instead, Mr Kaufman said the 40-year-old tourist was suffering from a mental disorder that psychiatrists have labelled 'Jerusalem syndrome'. The condition - a form of disorientation believed to be induced by the religious magnetism of the city, which is sacred to Christians, Jews and Muslims - is said to cause foreign pilgrims to believe they are figures from the Bible.
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US tourist arrested for smashing ancient Roman statues at Israel MuseumThe man's lawyer said the tourist was suffering from Jerusalem syndrome which cause foreign pilgrims to believe they are figures from the Bible.
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American tourist arrested after attacking Roman statues in Jerusalem museumThe man\u2019s lawyer said the tourist may have been suffering from a psychiatric condition called Jerusalem syndrome.
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American tourist 'smashed Roman statues that offended his religious sensibilities'A tourist from the US has been arrested in Israel for allegedly smashing two ancient Roman statues because he thought they were 'blasphemous'. Police say the suspect, a man in his 40s, deliberately destroyed the sculptures as they are 'in violation of the Torah', according to a statement rep...
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American tourist 'smashed Roman statues that offended his religious sensibilities'The man in his 40s allegedly smashed the two second-century marble sculptures as he thought they were 'blasphemous'.
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American tourist 'smashed Roman statues that offended his religious sensibilities'The man in his 40s allegedly smashed the two second-century marble sculptures as he thought they were 'blasphemous'.
Read more »