Police say they arrested 21 people who are suspected of trying to bring a sacrificial goat up to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.
On Friday, “a group of rioters that arrived at one of the entrances tried to break through the gate with the goal of bringing a baby goat onto the grounds of the Mount, thereby disrupting public order,” police say.
They were nabbed before they could perform a ritual sacrifice atop the flashpoint site in honor of Pesach Sheni, or Second Passover, which is marked a month after Passover.
In ancient times, the holiday provided another chance for those who had not brought the Passover sacrifice to the Temple to fulfill the religious commandment.
The detainees were brought to the Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court, where police requested to extend their detention, but a judge released them.
Police filed an appeal against the decision today, but the ruling to free the suspects was upheld, according to police’s statement.
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