Church damaged in fire in central Jerusalem

Holy books in sanctuary burned; no suspects arrested
Associated Press

A church in central Jerusalem was set afire before dawn Wednesday and suffered extensive damage, police said.

Holy books in the sanctuary were also burned, police spokesman Shmuel Ben-Ruby said.

Those who set the building afire apparently threw something flammable inside the windows, Ben-Ruby said. No suspects have been arrested, he said.

The church formerly belonged to a local Baptist community, but is now shared by several congregations, including a group of Russians and some Messianic Jews.

The church had been set afire in the past. It is located on Narkiss Street, a main road in central Jerusalem that runs near ultra-Orthodox Jewish neighborhoods.