Judge cites religious hatred as suspect in Maronite Nahariya church vandalism remains jailed

The Krayot Magistrate's Court extended the detention of a suspect identified as Keren for three days over the vandalism of a Maronite Christian place of worship in Nahariya, with Judge Orit Kantor ruling that the alleged religious hatred behind the offenses heightened their severity.The decision was reached by agreement between a representative of the Nahariya police and attorney Irena Luria, who represents Keren on behalf of the Public Defender's Office. In a similar case in September, a Haifa resident was indicted for vandalizing a church and assaulting a police officer.Judge Kantor said she was convinced that "at this stage, there are reasonable grounds to suspect that the suspect did indeed commit the offenses attributed to him, and the suspicion is strong.""In my assessment, these are offenses motivated by religious hatred, which increases the danger posed and the severity of the offenses," Kantor ruled.The judge accordingly extended Keren's detention for three days. He is scheduled to appear before a judge again on Thursday. The incident shocked the community of former South Lebanon Army (SLA) members. Worshippers who arrived at the prayer hall on Sunday, November 1, discovered broken statues and defaced pictures.Maronite community condemns vandalism of prayer hallAccording to Father Yosef Yaakov, spokesman for the Maronite community in the Holy Land, a note written in English asking for forgiveness had been…