Israeli Police Arrest Man for Attacking French Nun in Jerusalem

Israeli police arrested a 36-year-old man on Wednesday suspected of assaulting a French nun in Jerusalem's Old City the previous day. Video footage released by police shows the man approaching the nun near King David's Tomb on Mount Zion, pushing her to the ground, and kicking her while she was down.

The nun, identified as a researcher at the French Biblical and Archaeological School of Jerusalem, sustained bruises to her face but did not require hospitalization, according to statements from the school and police.

The suspect, described by police as wearing a kippah and tzitzit, was detained following an investigation that included review of security camera footage. " The police did not specify a motive in their initial statement, and no court filings detailing charges were publicly available as of May 1, 2026.

" The Vatican expressed concern over the incident, with a spokesperson noting it "sets a serious precedent," according to reports.

The site of the assault, near the Cenacle on Mount Zion, is significant to Christians as the location of the Last Supper and to Jews as the traditional site of King David's Tomb. Church officials have reported incidents of harassment toward Christians in Jerusalem's Old City, including spitting and verbal aggression, though no publicly released data from Israeli authorities quantifies such events as of May 2026.

The Greek Orthodox Church issued a statement on May 1, 2026, expressing alarm over what it described as "repeated attacks on Christians in Jerusalem," but did not reference specific evidence linking this incident to a broader pattern. Israel's Foreign Ministry has not commented on claims of systemic harassment as of that date.

In unrelated incidents in London, Abdullah Albadri, 34, was convicted on April 30, 2026, at the Old Bailey of preparing a terrorist act and possessing bladed articles after attempting to enter the Israeli embassy with knives. " Separately, Essa Suleiman, 45, was charged with three counts of attempted murder and possession of a bladed article following stabbings of two Jewish men in London's Golders Green area on April 29, 2026.

The Metropolitan Police confirmed the charges in a statement, noting one additional stabbing occurred elsewhere in the city that day. Suleiman appeared in Westminster Magistrates’ Court and was remanded in custody; no motive was specified in the police statement.