In one instance, a goat was found hidden inside a baby carriage, while another suspect attempted to smuggle a goat onto the flashpoint site in a reusable grocery bag, police say.
The suspects, aged between 13-21, have all been transferred for further questioning, the statement adds, and the animals were confiscated and transferred for necessary veterinary treatment.
“The Israel Police operates in Jerusalem and across all sectors, along with other security agencies, both overtly and covertly, against any person who tries to shatter the order and act in contradiction to the law and the existing practices of Jerusalem holy sites,” the police say.
In recent years, fringe religious groups have increasingly sought to carry out the Passover sacrifice on the Temple Mount, but to no avail, as most Israeli security officials believe that it would be seen as a major change to the religious site’s status quo and spark fierce backlash from across the region.
“We call on the public not to give a platform to extreme fingers who try to or call to violate the law and order,” the police say. “The existing practice on the Temple Mount and in other holy sites in Jerusalem has been preserved and will continue to be preserved at all times, and we will not allow extremists and criminals of any kind to violate it.”
