American tourist arrested for smashing ancient Roman statues during rampage

A US tourist has been arrested after smashing ancient Roman statues during a rampage in a museum.

A 40-year-old man went on a rampage in a Jerusalem museum and smashed ancient Roman statues he considered to be 'blasphemous' and 'in violation of the Torah' (the first five books of the Jewish bible).

The man was arrested by Israel Police yesterday (5 October) for intentionally damaging the statues, which were on display at the Israel Museum.

Israel Museum

The museum has since confirmed that two 'ancient Roman statues dating to the 2nd century CE' were destroyed during the attack.

Images released by the museum show the broken artefacts, both of which were lying on the floor after having been removed from their pedestals.

One statue had a severed head while the other had been broken into several pieces.

The museum also released a photograph of a stick it said the suspect had been holding and may have been used in the attack, according to The Times of Israel.

Museum security detained the tourist while they waited for police to arrive and arrest him.

He was then questioned by the police, who intend to request for a judge to deny bail. Police say the investigation is ongoing.

The statues have been transferred to the museum's conservation lab for professional restoration, a police statement confirmed.

Israel Museum

Eli Escusido, head of Israel Antiquities Authority, said: "One statue is a marble depiction of the goddess Athena that was found in excavations at Beit She'an in the 1960s. The second was of the mythological creature Griffin, who was the symbol of divinity in the Roman pagan era and found in the Negev.

"This is a shocking case of destruction of cultural heritage. We view with great concern the fact that religious extremists take such action."

However, the museum said that while the attack was 'vicious' and 'severe,' it will not affect its operations or opening hours.

"This is an unusual incident," the museum said in a statement.

"We condemn all forms of violence and hope such events do not happen again."

Earlier this year, an American was arrested after being accused of pushing two women into a gorge near to the Neuschwanstein castle in southern Germany.

One of the woman died after falling down the steep slope, and the other was seriously injured.

Neither suspect nor victims have been identified to date.