Man who attacked nun on CCTV in Jerusalem acquitted on grounds of mental health

An Israeli magistrate court has dismissed a charged young man who struck a nun in Jerusalem’s Old City, citing CCTV evidence that generated fierce public condemnation.

The Jerusalem Magistrates Court found Yona Schreiber was in a psychotic episode when he shoved and kicked the French nun amidst the Old City in early April. The judgment held that he lacked criminal responsibility, and he was ordered to enter a psychiatric facility for up to six years.

Footage of the assault incited widespread protest and underscored a discernible surge of hostility toward Christian clergy and pilgrims in the historic quarter.

The nun incurred serious injuries, striking her head against a stone slab and sustaining a bruised face and damaged leg.

Thirty‑six‑year‑old Schreiber had been accused of an assault motivated by anti‑religious bias.

A district psychiatrist reported that Schreiber “was in a psychotic state at the time of the act and is not substantively fit to stand trial.”

The prosecution incorporated this medical assessment and sought a verdict of not guilty while arranging hospitalization.

Judge Ofir Tishler emphasized that the verdict stemmed primarily from Schreiber’s mental‑health condition rather than malicious intent.

The French Consulate in Jerusalem conveyed strong disapproval of the aggressor’s actions.

The director of the French Biblical and Archaeological School, noting the nun’s research affiliation, described the episode as an “act of sectarian violence.”

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