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An American tourist is arrested for smashing ancient Roman statues at a museum in Israel

This image released by Israel Police shows two ancient Roman statues toppled at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, Thursday, Oct. 5, 2023. Israeli police have arrested an American tourist at the museum after he hurled works of art to the floor, defacing two second-century Roman statues. The vandalism late Thursday raised questions about the safety of Israel’s priceless collections and stirred concern about a rise in attacks on cultural heritage in Jerusalem. (Israel Police via AP)

This image released by Israel Police shows an ancient Roman statue toppled at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, Friday, Oct. 6, 2023. Israeli police have arrested an American tourist at the museum after he hurled works of art to the floor, defacing two second-century Roman statues. The vandalism late Thursday raised questions about the safety of Israel’s priceless collections and stirred concern about a rise in attacks on cultural heritage in Jerusalem. (Israel Police via AP)

A general view of the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, Friday, Oct. 6, 2023. Israeli police have arrested an American tourist at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem after he hurled works of art to the floor, damaging two second-century Roman statues. The vandalism late Thursday raised questions about the safety of Israel’s priceless collections, as well as concern about a rise in attacks on cultural heritage in Jerusalem. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)

A man walks his dog past the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, Friday, Oct. 6, 2023. Israeli police have arrested an American tourist at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem after he hurled works of art to the floor, damaging two second-century Roman statues. The vandalism late Thursday raised questions about the safety of Israel’s priceless collections, as well as concern about a rise in attacks on cultural heritage in Jerusalem. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)

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JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli police have arrested an American tourist at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem after he hurled works of art to the floor, defacing two second-century Roman statues.

The vandalism late Thursday raised questions about the safety of Israel’s priceless collections and stirred concern about a rise in attacks on cultural heritage in Jerusalem.

Police identified the suspect as a radical 40-year-old Jewish American tourist and said initial questioning suggested he smashed the statues because he considered them “to be idolatrous and contrary to the Torah.”

The man’s lawyer, Nick Kaufman, denied that he had acted out of religious fanaticism.

Instead, Kaufman said, the tourist was suffering from a mental disorder that psychiatrists have labeled the Jerusalem syndrome. The condition — a form of disorientation believed to be induced by the religious magnetism of the city, which is sacred to Christians, Jews and Muslims — is said to cause foreign pilgrims to believe they are figures from the Bible.

The defendant has been ordered to undergo a psychiatric evaluation. Officials did not release his name due to a gag order.

With religious passions burning and tensions simmering during the Jewish holiday season, spitting and other assaults on Christian worshippers by radical ultra-Orthodox Jews have been on the rise, unnerving tourists, outraging local Christians and sparking widespread condemnation . The Jewish holiday of Sukkot, the harvest festival, ends Friday at sundown.

The prominent Israel Museum, with its exhibits of archaeology, fine arts, and Jewish art and life, described Thursday’s vandalism as a “troubling and unusual event,” and said it “condemns all forms of violence and hopes such incidents will not recur.”

Museum photos showed the marble head of the goddess Athena knocked off its pedestal onto the floor and a statue of a pagan deity shattered into fragments. The damaged statues were being restored, museum staff said. The museum declined to offer the value of the statues or cost of destruction.

The Israeli government expressed alarm over the defacement, which officials also attributed to Jewish iconoclasm in obedience to early prohibitions against idolatry.

“This is a shocking case of the destruction of cultural values,” said Eli Escusido, director of the Israel Antiquities Authority. “We see with concern the fact that cultural values are being destroyed by religiously motivated extremists.”

The vandalism appeared to be the latest in a spate of attacks by Jews against historical objects in Jerusalem. In February, a Jewish American tourist damaged a statue of Jesus at a Christian pilgrimage site in the Old City, and in January, Jewish teenagers defaced historical Christian tombstones at a prominent Jerusalem cemetery.

On Friday morning, about 16 hours after the defacement at the museum, the doors opened to the public at the regularly scheduled time.

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American tourist arrested for damaging Roman statues at Israel Museum

Vandalism stirs concern about safety of collections amid rise in attacks on cultural heritage in Jerusalem

Israeli police have arrested an American tourist at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem after he hurled works of art to the floor, defacing two second-century Roman statues.

The vandalism late on Thursday raised questions about the safety of the priceless collections and stirred concern about a rise in attacks on cultural heritage in Jerusalem.

Police identified the suspect as a radical 40-year-old Jewish American tourist, and said initial questioning suggested he had smashed the statues because he considered them “to be idolatrous and contrary to the Torah”.

The man’s lawyer, Nick Kaufman, denied that the tourist had acted out of religious fanaticism.

Instead, Kaufman said, the man was suffering from a mental disorder that psychiatrists have labelled the Jerusalem syndrome. The condition– a form of disorientation believed to be induced by the religious magnetism of the city, which is sacred to Christians, Jews and Muslims – is said to cause foreign pilgrims to believe they are figures from the Bible .

The defendant has been ordered to undergo a psychiatric evaluation. Officials did not release his name due to a gag order.

With religious passions burning and tensions simmering during the Jewish holiday season, spitting and other assaults on Christian worshippers by radical ultra-Orthodox Jews have been on the rise, unnerving tourists, outraging local Christians and sparking widespread condemnation. The Jewish holiday of Sukkot, the harvest festival, ends on Friday at sundown.

The prominent Israel Museum, with its exhibits of archaeology, fine arts, and artefacts of Jewish art and life, described Thursday’s vandalism as a “troubling and unusual event”, and said it “condemns all forms of violence and hopes such incidents will not recur”.

Museum photos showed the marble head of the goddess Athena knocked off its pedestal on to the floor and a statue of a pagan deity shattered into fragments. The damaged statues were being restored, museum staff said. The museum declined to state the value of the statues or cost of the damage.

The Israeli government expressed alarm over the defacement, which officials also attributed to Jewish iconoclasm in obedience to early prohibitions against idolatry.

“This is a shocking case of the destruction of cultural values,” said Eli Escusido, director of the Israel Antiquities Authority. “We see with concern the fact that cultural values are being destroyed by religiously motivated extremists.”

The vandalism appeared to be the latest in a spate of attacks by Jews against historical objects in Jerusalem. In February, a Jewish American tourist damaged a statue of Jesus at a Christian pilgrimage site in the Old City, and in January, Jewish teenagers defaced historical Christian tombstones at a prominent Jerusalem cemetery.

On Friday morning, about 16 hours after the defacement at the museum, the doors opened to the public at the regularly scheduled time.

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Live updates, lawyer claims us tourist accused of smashing two 2nd-century statues was suffering from ‘jerusalem syndrome’.

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An American tourist allegedly went on a bizarre rampage at an Israeli museum, smashing two ancient Roman statues because he claimed they represented “idolatry” that was “contrary to the Torah,” authorities said.

A lawyer for the unnamed suspect — who was arrested after the incident — claimed he was suffering from a delusion known as “Jerusalem syndrome” when he allegedly went wild with a stick during the Thursday evening incident, according to reports.

At least two statues — including one that the Times of Israel tentatively identified as a head of Athena dating to the 2nd century CE and a statue of a griffin holding a wheel of fate decorated with the Roman god Nemesis from about 210-211 CE — were left broken into multiple pieces on an exhibition hall floor, photos shared by police and distributed via local outlets showed.

The damaged statues were all original artifacts, the Israel Museum confirmed.

The museum also shared a photo of a stick the man was allegedly carrying through the exhibit and may have used to carry out the bizarre attack, the Times of Israel said.

The 40-year-old suspect was arrested shortly after the incident, and has been ordered held through Monday to undergo a psychiatric evaluation, the Jerusalem Post reported.

His attorney Nick Kaufman later claimed the man had “Jerusalem Syndrome, which is a form of disorientation that causes religious pilgrims to believe they are biblical figures.

Officers believe the man lashed out at the objects because he felt the Roman sculptures “to be idolatrous and contrary to the Torah.”

The history of Jews in and around the Roman Empire was famously fraught — particularly during the siege of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE.

The former site of the temple is now occupied the Al-Aqsa mosque, or the Dome of the Rock, and is one of the most politically and spiritually tense locations in the Middle East.

The damaged artifacts will undergo professional restoration, the Israel Museum said, per the Times of Israel.

The museum also denounced the attack as a “troubling and unusual event” and emphasized that the prominent institution “condemns all forms of violence and hopes such incidents will not recur.”

“This is a shocking case of the destruction of cultural values,” added Eli Escusido, director of the Israel Antiquities Authority. 

“We see with concern the fact that cultural values are being destroyed by religiously motivated extremists.”

The Israel Museum incident is the latest in a series of troubling occurrences in Jerusalem — the contested hot spot for Judaism, Islam and Christianity — as tourists descended on the city for Sukkot, the annual Jewish harvest festival.

On Wednesday, Israeli police arrested five suspects accused of spitting toward Christians and churches in the Old City, the authorities confirmed on X, formerly known as Twitter.

“A special investigative team has been established to address this issue comprehensively, and we will continue to protect the peace and security of all residents and visitors, regardless of their faith,” the agency said of the confrontations, which were caught on video.

With Post wires

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Tourist Smashes ‘Blasphemous’ Roman Statues Citing Jerusalem Syndrome as Defense

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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 man’s defence lawyer, has denied that his client destroyed the arts through religious fanaticism. Rather, he claims the man had suffered from a supposed mental disorder known as “Jerusalem syndrome”.

When people attribute outcomes or events to ghosts, demons, or supernatural entities, it is often referred to as "supernatural or paranormal attribution." This means assigning causality or blame to supernatural forces, rather than finding natural or scientifically explainable factors. “Jerusalem syndrome,” is claimed by some to be a form of cognitive disorientation suffered by the devout when visiting the center of Christian, Jewish and Muslim faith systems. It is claimed that this condition causes people “to believe they are figures from the Bible,” according to AP News.

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One of the Roman statues smashed by the US tourist in the Israel Museum. Photo: Israel Police.

Jerusalem Syndrome: A Mask for Violence?

What is perhaps most revealing in this story, is that the accused has not yet undergone a psychiatric evaluation, yet his lawyer has already diagnosed his client’s condition as “Jerusalem Syndrome.” Now consider all the recent  reports  about “radical ultra-Orthodox Jews spitting and assaulting Christian worshippers.” At the beginning of the year,  AP reported  that Jews had defaced Christian graves in a Jerusalem cemetery, and in February, another Jewish American tourist attacked a statue of Jesus at a Christian pilgrimage site in Jerusalem.

Perhaps not coincidentally, this display of “Jerusalem Syndrome” occurred on the Jewish harvest festival holiday, Sukkot, which ended yesterday, at sunset. In response to the man’s actions, the  Israel Museum  said Thursday’s vandalism was “a troubling and unusual event,” and that the organization “condemns all forms of violence.” The Israeli government have attributed the act “to Jewish iconoclasm in obedience to early prohibitions against idolatry,” and not to the alleged Jerusalem Syndrome.

Man who claims to be a Messiah in Tel Aviv, 2010 ( Jacek Proszyk / CC by SA 4.0 )

A Syndrome That Targets Offending Statues

One of the destroyed statues depicts Athena, the goddess of wisdom in Ancient Greek mythology. While Athena herself is not specifically offensive to  Orthodox Jews , what is of concern to followers of any monotheistic Abrahamic religion, is the veneration or worship of any deity outside of their own tradition. Judaism is strictly monotheist, emphasizing the belief in Yahweh [one god] and the worship, or even the acknowledgment, of other gods or goddesses contradicts their fundamental beliefs.

Putting Jerusalem Syndrome to the side, this was an act of  iconoclasm and violence ,  similar to the way in which  ISIS  has adhered to an extreme interpretation of Islam that rejects the use of images or statues in religious practices. This view comes from the early days of Islam when Prophet Muhammad advocated against the worship of idols and imagery that aligned with the historical Islamic concept of iconoclasm.

ISIS, and the American tourist, both view the worship or veneration of statues, artifacts, and cultural heritage as a form of idolatry. Therefore, destroying such statues is a way to eliminate what are perceived as false idols, and a return to the original form of monotheistic worship.

An Explanation of Hysteria

Eli Escusido, director of the Israel Antiquities Authority, said the destruction of artifacts in the museum represents “a shocking case of the destruction of cultural values,” wherein cultural values “are being destroyed by religiously motivated extremists.” However, the criminal’s lawyer is sticking to his story: that the man suffered “Jerusalem Syndrome.”

Let us for a moment enter the future courtroom of this impending trial. The defence lawyer will no doubt point out that the 1989 book  “ City of Mirrors ” describes Jerusalem Syndrome “as a form of  hysteria , referred to as "fièvre Jérusalemienne," that was first ascribed by writer Felix Fabri in the 15th century. It might also be pointed out that the condition was first clinically described in the 1930s, by the famous Jerusalem psychiatrist, Heinz Hermann, who said some people visiting the Holy City “suffered hysteria, and delusions”.

A barefoot, robed man in Israel allegedly suffering from Jerusalem Syndrome. Source:  Marcin Sochacki / CC by SA 4.0 .

Experts Refuse Jerusalem Syndrome

The defence lawyer will no doubt refer to a 2000 article in the  British Journal of Psychiatry, Bar-El et al  which claimed to have identified and described “a specific syndrome which emerges in tourists with no previous psychiatric history.” However, this claim was torn apart by scholars  M. Kalian and E. Witztum  who discovered that “nearly all of the tourists who demonstrated the described behaviours were mentally ill prior to their arrival in Jerusalem.”

If this fact is not enough to shatter the man’s claim that he was guided by supernatural agency, the prosecution might point out that of the tiny proportion of tourists alleged to have exhibited spontaneous psychosis after arrival in Jerusalem, not one of them “had been well prior to their arrival in the city.” This is to say, every one of them suffered mental health conditions before visiting Jerusalem, which were then unleashed in fits of violence against the icons of other religions.

Top image: Broken Roman statue. Source:  Dmitry  / Adobe Stock.

By Ashley Cowie

Ashley is a Scottish historian, author, and documentary filmmaker presenting original perspectives on historical problems in accessible and exciting ways.

He was raised in Wick, a small fishing village in the county of Caithness on the north east coast of... Read More

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US tourist arrested after smashing ancient Roman sculptures in response to not seeing Pope at Vatican

It will take 300 hours to repair the two ancient busts and cost €15,000, article bookmarked.

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A disgruntled American tourist hoping to see the Pope while visiting the Vatican lashed out in disappointment by smashing ancient Roman sculptures.

On Wednesday a man described as an American tourist – his identity has not been released – demanded to see the head of the Catholic Church , according to Roman newspaper Il Messaggero .

After being informed that this vacation wish could not be granted, the man reportedly took off in a fury and snatched one of the ancient Roman busts that line the wall of the Chiaramonti Museum and dropped it to the floor.

Inside the Chiaramonti Museum, which joins the small Palace of the Belvedere to the Vatican Palaces, there are more than 1,000 pieces of art and the site is considered to house one of the most important collections of Roman portrait busts.

Of those busts, at least two were damaged in the man’s tantrum, according to Director of the Press Office for Vatican Museums Matteo Alessandrini, who confirmed the damages with CNN .

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“The two busts have been damaged but not particularly badly. One lost part of a nose and an ear, the head of the other came off the pedestal,” he told the news outlet.

The cost to repair these busts will come at a price tag of an estimated 15,000 euros ($14,800 US) and will take approximately 300 hours to restore, Adnkronos reported .

The man, who was estimated to be in his 50s, was handed over to Italian authorities after Vatican police were able to quickly intercept him from doing more harm, CNN reported.

He is expected to face charges of aggravated damage, USA Today reported .

This incident marks just the latest occasion in the last few months that Roman artefacts and tourist sites have been under attack by tourists.

In July, a Canadian tourist visiting the Italian city carved their name into the side of the Colosseum.

The Spanish Steps in the Italian capital were also the target of not one but two defacements after a Saudi Arabian visitor drove their luxury Maserati down the iconic stairs and later a pair of American tourists shoved electric scooters down the 297-year-old architectural monument, causing $27,000 of damage, Insider reported.

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U.S. tourist arrested for destroying 'blasphemous' statues at Israel Museum

Oct. 6 (UPI) -- An American tourist was ordered detained until Monday for destroying Roman statues at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, police said Friday.

The tourist's detention was extended after he was arrested on Thursday as police said he knocked down the statues he claimed were "blasphemous" before being detained by a security guard at the museum.

The statues, depicting the Roman deities, Athena and Nemesis, were described by the museum as "ancient Roman statues dating back to the 2nd century CE."

Israeli police published footage of the statues being knocked over and damaged.

According to Israeli Police, the suspect told them the statues were "in violation of the Torah."

"We see with concern the fact that cultural values are being destroyed by religiously motivated extremists," said Israel Antiquities Authority Director Eli Escusido.

The damaged statues have been transferred to experts who will attempt to restore them.

The attack occurred during the seven-day Sukkot holiday, which celebrates the harvest of ancient times and honors the biblical Israelites who fled into exile.

Outside Israel, the diaspora Jewish community celebrates Sukkot for eight days.

Observant Jews build temporary dwellings called Sukkah, or Sukkot, in the plural, to honor the temporary homes of the biblical Israelites who were exiled to the Sinai desert for 40 years in the Hebrew Bible.

Many observant Jews travel to Israel during Sukkot, to make a pilgrimage to the site of the Jewish temple in Jerusalem, which was destroyed by the Romans in 70 CE during the Jewish revolt against the Roman Empire.

US tourist destroys 'blasphemous' Roman statues at the Israel Museum

An american citizen was detained by security forces in the museum after being observed shattering the statues, which he claimed were "in violation of the torah.".

What will happen to the suspect now?

US tourist arrested for smashing ancient Roman statues at Israel Museum

• United States
• Friday 6 October 2023 at 1:46pm

An American tourist has been arrested after allegedly smashing two ancient Roman statues at the Israel Museum.

Museum photos showed the marble head of the goddess Athena knocked off its pedestal onto the floor and a statue of a pagan deity shattered into fragments.

Israeli police identified the suspect as a 40-year-old American tourist.

The force said initial questioning suggested he smashed the statues because he considered them “to be idolatrous and contrary to the Torah.”

The man's lawyer, Nick Kaufman, denied this and instead said the tourist was suffering from a mental disorder that psychiatrists have labelled Jerusalem syndrome.

The condition - a form of disorientation believed to be induced by the religious magnetism of the city, which is sacred to Christians, Jews and Muslims - is said to cause foreign pilgrims to believe they are figures from the Bible.

The defendant, whose name was not released due to a gag order, must undergo psychiatric evaluation.

Israel Museum, with its exhibits of archaeology, fine arts, and Jewish art and life, described Thursday's vandalism as a “troubling and unusual event.”

It said it “condemns all forms of violence and hopes such incidents will not recur.”

The damaged statues were being restored, museum staff said. The museum declined to give the value of the statues or cost of destruction.

“This is a shocking case of the destruction of cultural values,” said Eli Escusido, director of the Israel Antiquities Authority. “We see with concern the fact that cultural values are being destroyed by religiously motivated extremists."

It's not the first time tourists have broken or vandalised high value Roman artefacts.

An American man smashed two ancient Roman sculptures into pieces at the Vatican on Wednesday, CNN reported.

He had demanded to see the Pope, according to newspaper  Il Messaggero . When he was told he couldn’t, he allegedly hurled a Roman bust to the floor.

As he ran off, with staff in pursuit, he knocked down another.

In June a British tourist, who was filmed etching his and his girlfriend's name into the Colosseum, had to apologised to the Mayor of Rome.

A video, showing a man using his keys to carve "Ivan+Hayley 23," into the amphitheatre went viral.

Italian Culture Minister Gennaro Sangiuliano called the act “undignified and a sign of great incivility.”

Ivan Dimitrov from Bristol claimed he did not realise how old the historic site was, as he gave his "most heartfelt and honest apologies".

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American tourist arrested for smashing Roman-era statues at Israel Museum

( JTA ) — An American Jewish tourist was arrested in Israel for allegedly destroying two Roman-era statues inside the Israel Museum, claiming to police that they were “idolatrous and contrary to the Torah.”

The suspect’s alleged actions caused “substantial damage” to the nearly 2,000-year-old pieces, police said.

Police officers were called to the prestigious Jerusalem cultural institution Thursday evening after a visitor, identified as a 40-year-old American Jewish man, intentionally smashed the statues, which were part of the permanent exhibition in the museum’s archaeology wing.

The museum provided a photo of a stick they said the suspect was carrying as he walked throughout the museum, and which he may have used to damage the statues, according to the Times of Israel . The damaged sculptures dated to the 2nd century and depicted the head of the goddess Athena (the Roman Minerva) and what appeared to be a statue of a griffin clutching the wheel of fate, representing the goddess Nemesis.

The damaged statues are being repaired by the museum’s conservation department, and the museum was open to the public on Friday morning.

“The Israel Museum considers this incident a troubling and unusual event,” a statement from the museum said. “The museum’s management condemns all forms of violence and hopes such incidents will not recur.”

Despite the suspect’s assertion to police about the statues’ “idolatrous” nature, his lawyer, Nick Kaufman, denied that his client had acted out of religious fanaticism. The suspect’s name is not being released due to a gag order, according to the Associated Press .

Instead, Kaufman claimed that his client was suffering from “Jerusalem syndrome,” a mental phenomenon seen in tourists to the city and characterized by “religious excitement induced by proximity to the holy places of Jerusalem,” according to a paper written in 2000 by a group of Israeli researchers. He has been ordered to undergo a psychiatric evaluation.

Rabbinic legend has it that Abraham, the biblical patriarch, smashed his father’s idols, and aversion to idol worship has historically been a strong impulse among traditionally observant Jews. However, in the present day virtually no Jewish authorities endorse smashing idols or vandalizing cultural or religious institutions.

But this is not the first time this year that non-Jewish religious objects have been damaged in Jerusalem. In February, an American tourist was arrested for damaging a statue of Jesus inside the Old City, and in January, two Israeli teenagers defaced 30 tombstones at a prominent Old City Christian cemetery .

“This is a shocking case of the destruction of cultural values,” said Eli Escusido, director of the Israel Antiquities Authority. “We see with concern the fact that cultural values are being destroyed by religiously motivated extremists.”

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Tourist destroys historic statue of Portuguese king in quest for perfect selfie

The 126-year-old statue of Portuguese king Dom Sebastiao is seen before its demise. (Reuters)

A tourist will appear in court in Portugal after he accidentally destroyed a 126-year-old statue while trying to take a holiday selfie.

The 24-year-old man, who has not been named, climbed up next to the famous statue of former Portuguese king Dom Sebastiao outside a Lisbon train station on Tuesday, Reuters reported.

He reportedly scaled the station’s facade for the perfect photo opportunity.

But after he reached the statue, the man knocked the freestanding sculpture off its pedestal — and it topped to the ground, smashing into pieces.

Person takes a selfie takes with a 126-year-old statue and breaks it to pieaces - https://t.co/c7lkpnSDOD pic.twitter.com/9aOSmjbnLC — DIYPhotography (@diyphotography) May 8, 2016

The tourist reportedly tried to flee the scene but was quickly apprehended by police.

He was then charged to face a Lisbon court for destruction of public property.

A spokesman for Infrastructure Portugal said it was not yet known when the statue would be fixed.

The statue’s subject, Dom Sebastiao, was Portugal’s ruler between 1557 and 1578.

A legendary but tragic figure in Portuguese history, the young king embarked on a crusade against Morocco but was killed at the famous Battle of the Three Kings in northern Morocco at the age of 24.

His body was never recovered and the statue in his honour had stood proudly outside Lisbon’s impressive Rossio railway station since 1890 — until last week.

But the young man who accidentally smashed it to pieces is far from the only tourist to inadvertently wreck havoc on valuable pieces of art.

Last year, a 12-year-old boy visiting a museum in Taipei, Taiwan, triggered facepalms the world over when he  tripped over a punched a hole in a $2 million painting .

Footage showed the child trip on his feet and stumble into the 350-year-old oil-on-canvas painting, Flowers, by Italian master painter Paolo Porpora, which required expensive restoration.

Also last year, a pair of tourists accidentally shattered a 315-year-old marble statue in the Italian city of Cremona.

The tourists were reportedly trying to snap a selfie with the Statue of the Two Hercules — considered a symbol of the city — when they knocked it to the ground, Milan’s Corriere della Sera newspaper reported.

In 2013, an American tourist accidentally snapped the finger off a 600-year-old statue of the Virgin Mary at Museo dell’Opera del Duomo in Florence.

The 55-year-old man was reportedly attempting to compare his finger to one on the statue figure when it broke off.

In an even more strange incident, the quest for a perfect selfie caused  a US exchange student to become trapped in a giant stone sculpture of a vulva  in Germany.

Some 22 firefighters were called to help free the man when he got stuck trying to take “a funny picture” with the sculpture in the grounds of Tubingen University Institute of Microbiology.

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US Tourist Damages Statues In Israel Museum Due To Religious Offence

The arrested us tourist remains in custody and will appear in court in jerusalem..

The two destroyed artefacts were ancient Roman statues.

A tourist from the United States was arrested by security officials on Thursday for allegedly destroying statues inside the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. The tourist claimed that those statues offended his religious sensibilities.

The Jerusalem Post reported that police said in their statement that officers were called to the site on Thursday evening after a visitor to the museum intentionally smashed and extensively damaged several sculptures.

The news portal further reported that the photos released by authorities showed two sculptures that had been knocked off of pedestals and broken into several pieces in the museum's archaeology wing. The pieces appeared to be a head of Athena from the 2nd century CE discovered in 1978 in Tel Naharon near Beit She'an, and a statue of a griffin holding a wheel of fate representing the Roman god Nemesis dated to 210-211 CE and discovered in 1957 in the northern Negev.

The Israel Museum said only that the two destroyed artifacts were "ancient Roman statues dating to the 2nd century CE" which were featured in the archaeology wing.

The arrested US tourist remains in custody and will appear in court in Jerusalem. Israel is currently seeing a surge in tourists for the week-long Jewish holiday of Sukkot.

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The Israel Museum told Metro News in statement: 'The museum's management, which views this as a troubling and unusual event, condemns all forms of violence and hopes such incidents will not recur.

'During the weekend, the museum will maintain its regular opening hours.'

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Selfie-Taking Tourist Destroys 18th-Century Saint Michael Statue in Lisbon

By Lilit Marcus

Earlier this week, a Brazilian tourist visiting Portugal knocked over and destroyed a priceless 18th-century statue in Lisbon 's National Museum of Ancient Art while trying to take a selfie. If you thought this story sounded familiar, that's because it does: In May, another tourist destroyed a different Lisbon statue while posing for a selfie, in that case atop the Rossio train station in the capital. The Daily Mail reports that news of the breaking... broke... over the weekend when another museum patron posted a photo of the destroyed artwork, a statue of Saint Michael that dated from the early 1700s, on Facebook with the caption "It's the price to be paid for free entrances on the first Sunday of every month." Museum officials confirmed that damage to the statue is irreparable. Portuguese authorities say that they are investigating the incident. If the suspect is arrested, we can guess that he or she, like the person who knocked over the statue at Rossio station, will be charged with destruction of public property.

The museum's director, Antonio Filipe Pimentel, has one theory about how the unnamed museumgoer was able to knock over a statue without anybody noticing in time. Earlier this year, Pimentel warned that under-staffing for security guards and other personnel at major museums like the National Museum of Ancient Art could have dire consequences . "There are only 64 people for 84 chambers open to the public. I am very sure one day we will see hazards in the museum. It will happen because we're playing with our heritage."

Beyond staffing issues, selfies in museums and other public spaces are an ongoing concern that many places are struggling to address. Croatia's Plitvice Lakes National Park saw one tourist die and another come close after both veered off of approved trails to snap the perfect selfies, and a baby dolphin in Argentina died after people on a beach kept passing the animal around and taking selfies with it. Some places, like Amsterdam's Van Gogh Museum , have banned selfies (and all photography) in order to prevent mishaps and to encourage people to engage more directly with the art on display. However, without enough personnel on hand to enforce those rules, such bans become ineffective and could lead to more accidents that hurt both people and priceless works of art.

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Drunk tourist damages newly renovated statue at Bourse in Brussels city centre

The Bourse in Brussels city centre recently reopened after a big renovation, but has already been damaged again by an intoxicated tourist on Sunday night.

The Bourse and the two lions on the stairs in front of it have only just been restored . On Saturday, the building finally opened its doors after three years of restoration, which cost €90 million. A day later, one of the lion statues has already been damaged.

A video shows an Irish tourist, clearly intoxicated, climbing on the back of the statue to have his photo taken, next to the statue of a man holding a torch. However, when trying to crawl off the statue, the torch breaks off.

Police were notified and the man was arrested shortly afterwards in a fast food restaurant nearby – unaware of the harm he had caused. The statue, which was also only recently restored, will now have to be repaired again.

The restoration of the lion cost €17,600, and the management of the Bourse reportedly wants to recover the costs from the Irishman, Het Nieuwsblad reports.

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Visitors caught on video destroying ancient rock formations in Nevada

Authorities in Nevada asked the public for help finding two men seen on video damaging ancient rock formations at Lake Mead.

The video shows the two men shoving sandstone chunks over the edge of an outcropping as someone else screams. Lake Mead National Recreation Area officials say the incident took place near the Redstone Dune Trail on the north side of the lake. Park officials said the damage is irreparable.

John Haynes, a public information officer for the recreation area, told KVVU -TV of Las Vegas about the potentially heavy consequences to come for the two men.

"Destruction like this at federally protected sites can result in felony charges that come along with potential fines and jail time," Haynes said. "It’s one of my favorite places in the park, and they’re up there just destroying it. I don’t understand that."

The more than 2,300 square miles of mountain and desert canyon just outside Las Vegas is also a favorite location of tourists — drawing nearly 6 million visitors every year.

Officials said that with so many visitors to the area and so little staff, they often find themselves relying on the public to monitor resources within park boundaries. If safe circumstances permit, park officials encourage visitors to capture photos or videos of any suspicious activity that can help officials identify offenders. T he National Park Service's tip line receives thousands of submissions.

"It's really important to let us know," Haynes said.

Noah Osborne is a news associate with NBC News Digital.

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Tourists destroy 'beautiful' rock formation at national park as people look on in horror

Footage captured at lake mead, nevada has gone viral and now federal authorities are seeking the public's help.

Poppy Bilderbeck

Footage has emerged online of two tourists accused of 'destroying' a rock formation at a National Park site.

The incident took place on Saturday (13 April) in Lake Mead National Recreation Area in southeastern Nevada and northwestern Arizona and footage of the two men allegedly involved has been widespread on social media in a bid to identify the 'vandalism suspects'.

A still image taken from the footage was shared to Facebook by the Lake Mead National Recreation Area - National Park Service (NPS) on 13 April.

The post reads: "US park rangers at Lake Mead National Recreation Area are seeking information from the public to identify two vandalism suspects seen here.

"In a now viral video said to be recorded on the evening of Sunday, April 7, 2024, two adult males are seen toppling natural rock formations at the Redstone Dunes Trail.

"Information from visitors is often very helpful to investigators. If you were on the Redstone Dunes Trail on the evening of Sunday, April 7, 2024, or if you have information that could help identify the suspects, please submit a tip. "

You don't have to tell us who you are, but please tell us what you know: CALL the NPS-wide Tip Line 888-653-0009. ONLINE go.nps.gov/SubmitATip . EMAIL [email protected] . EMERGENCY dial 9-1-1." Catch the clip here:

The full footage was shared by Instagram account Tourons of Yellowstone which stated: "Two idiots destroying what nature created over thousands of years in front of screaming girl."

The post notes 'not everyone feels comfortable confronting someone' praising those behind the camera for doing their 'best' in the situation by whipping out their cameras and sending it to authorities.

Upon seeing the video, Public Information Officer Lake Mead National Recreation Area John Haynes questioned: "Why would you even do something like this, like why on Earth would you do this?"

He explained the incident 'feels like a personal attack in a way', with the 'beautiful' rock formation and site 'one of [his] favorite places in the park'.

"And they’re up there just destroying it. I don’t understand that," he continues. "[...] It pretty appalling, it is kind of disgusting."

According to Haynes, if identified and convicted, the two tourists could face 'from six months in jail and a $5,000 fine all the way up to a felony offense'.

UNILAD has contacted National Park Service for further comment.

Topics:  Instagram , Social Media , US News , Viral , Environment , Nature , Facebook

Poppy Bilderbeck is a Senior Journalist at LADbible Group. She graduated from The University of Manchester in 2021 with a First in English Literature and Drama, where alongside her studies she was Editor-in-Chief of The Tab Manchester. Poppy is most comfortable when chatting about all things mental health, is proving a drama degree is far from useless by watching and reviewing as many TV shows and films as possible and is such a crisp fanatic the office has been forced to release them in batches.

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