A violent American tourist has been arrested for destroying ancient Roman statues at a museum in Jerusalem. In his defence, the man is claiming he suffered from “Jerusalem Syndrome,” an alleged psychiatric condition in which a person visiting Jerusalem is overcome by religious-themed delusions.
The Jewish American vandal smashed priceless works of art in the Israel Museum, including an 1,800-year-old sculpture of the head of Athena and a statue of a griffin holding the wheel of fate of the Roman god Nemesis. Israel Police told AP News that the act of vandalism “raised questions about the safety of Israel’s priceless collections” and that it has caused heritage officials to consider why there have been a rise in similar attacks in Jerusalem.
What makes this story stand out, is that the vandal is claiming to have suffered from “Jerusalem Syndrome.” However, courtrooms seldom accept such an excuse to let blatant criminals off the hook.
The tourist destroyed an ancient griffin statue inside the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. Credit: Israel Police.
When Delusions Strike Out
The attack occurred on Friday, October 6 2023, and Israeli police promptly arrested the American tourist. Police identified the suspect as “a radical 40-year-old Jewish American tourist.” In his defence, the man claimed to have smashed the statues because he deemed them “idolatrous and contrary to the Torah,” as reported by AP. However, contrary to this initial admission of guilt, Nick Kaufman, the…
