Jerusalem court acquits a man indicted in nun attack, orders psychiatric care
Christian pilgrims walk past the site where a nun was attacked by a man last Wednesday, after visiting the Cenacle, traditionally believed to be the site of the Last Supper, in Jerusalem, Friday, May 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Leo Correa, File) JERUSALEM (AP) — A Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court judge acquitted a man accused of attacking a Catholic nun based on his insanity defense, but ordered him committed to psychiatric hospitalization for up to six years. The violent assault in April on a nun walking in her habit in Jerusalem’s Old City sent shock waves across Israel and its many Christian communities . Clergy and advocates say verbal abuse and spitting have grown increasingly common in the densely packed historic heart of Jerusalem. There, Christians, Jews and Muslims daily cross paths, mostly uneventfully, as they visit some of the holiest sites of Christianity, Islam and Judaism. Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc.
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Scoop News DeskJerusalem · Published Updated
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On Wednesday, a judge ruled that there was evidence that a Jewish man from a settlement in the occupied West Bank committed the actions he was charged with, but he was entitled to an insanity defense after the district psychiatrist found he was psychotic at the time of the attack.
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Christian pilgrims walk past the site where a nun was attacked by a man last Wednesday, after visiting the Cenacle, traditionally believed to be the site of the Last Supper, in Jerusalem, Friday, May 1, 2026. (AP Photo/Leo Correa, File) JERUSALEM (AP) — A Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court judge acquitted a man accused of attacking a Catholic nun based on his insanity defense, but ordered him committed to psychiatric hospitalization for up to six years. The violent assault in April on a nun walking in her habit in Jerusalem’s Old City sent shock waves across Israel and its many Christian communities . Clergy and advocates say verbal abuse and spitting have grown increasingly common in the densely packed historic heart of Jerusalem. There, Christians, Jews and Muslims daily cross paths, mostly uneventfully, as they visit some of the holiest sites of Christianity, Islam and Judaism. Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc.
