Jerusalem police have detained two American students on suspicion of photographing a sensitive security installation at the entrance to the city.

Authorities have requested a five-day extension of their detention as the investigation continues.

No further details have been released at this stage.

Crime in Jerusalem

Last week, a man was arrested for spraying antisemitic graffiti at the Western Wall and the Great Synagogue, as well as several other locations in Jerusalem.

“There is a Holocaust in Gaza,” said the graffiti in Hebrew.

'There is a Holocaust in Gaza' is seen sprayed on the southern wall in Jerusalem's Old City, part of the Western Wall complex, on August 11, 2025
'There is a Holocaust in Gaza' is seen sprayed on the southern wall in Jerusalem's Old City, part of the Western Wall complex, on August 11, 2025 (credit: ISRAEL POLICE SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)

The police detained the 27-year-old Jerusalem resident for questioning, and a judge later denied the extension of his detention, and refused the polices’s request to ban the suspect from the Western Wall.

“I cannot remove a Jew from the Western Wall,” he said.

The judge ordered the suspect's release and his referral to a psychiatric facility for evaluation.

This is a developing story.