Palestinian police arrest man who destroyed Ramallah's famed lion cub statues

A young Palestinian man who allegedly went on a statue-bashing spree in Ramallah's Al-Manara Square on Sunday has been arrested by Palestinian Authority police.

The man is said to have smashed three of five lion cub statues claiming they were idolatrous, local media reported.

Videos circulating on social media showed a man saying "we do not worship idols [here]", while another person encouraged him to "hit the big one".

Locals called on the man to stop as he uses a hammer to destroy the iconic statues in the de-facto Palestinian capital.

The lion cub statues symbolise the five sons of Rashid Al-Haddadin, the founder of Ramallah - Ibrahim, Jeries, Shukair, Hasan, and Hassaan.

The assailant managed to knock the heads off three of the famous lions before police detained him.

"Police forces arrested the aggressor and prevented him from smashing the rest of the lions," Police spokesman Louay Irzeigat told the Voice of Palestine Radio, a station owned by the Palestinian Authority, on Monday morning.

Palestinian police arrested a man while he was destroying the lions at Al Manara square in Ramallah with a hammer.
According to eyewitnesses he considers the lions as idols. pic.twitter.com/l0ZdHUgZQe

— Alaa Daraghme (@AlaaDaraghme) October 17, 2021