Suspect Held in Assault on Catholic Nun Near Jerusalem Holy Site

Overview

• A 48-year-old Catholic nun was knocked down and kicked near the Cenacle and Tomb of King David on Mount Zion in Jerusalem on Tuesday, leaving her with facial injuries.
• Hours after the Tuesday attack, police arrested a 36-year-old man and opened an investigation that includes a possible racist motive.
• Police released surveillance video on Thursday that shows the attacker rushing the nun from behind and a passerby stepping in to restrain him, and they said they enforce zero tolerance for violence against clergy.
• The victim is a researcher at the French Biblical and Archaeological School in Jerusalem, whose director said she was thrown against a stone and kicked as she lay on the ground.
• France and its consulate in Jerusalem condemned the assault and called for justice, and a Hebrew University faculty partner said the case reflects a growing hostility toward Christians and their symbols in the city.