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Israeli authorities apprehended three people suspected of having set fire to the historic Church of the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fishes at Tabgha, on the Sea of Galilee last month.
The Church was set ablaze on June 17th and anti-Christian graffiti was written on it in Hebrew. Two people suffered injuries from smoke inhalation at the time. Major damage was caused to the structure and hundreds of books were burned.
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The suspects have not been identified and the police have hinted that more arrests are to come.
The Church of the Multiplication of the Loaves was built on the site where Christians believe that Jesus fed more than 5, 000 poor people by miraculously making countless loaves of bread and fish.
The church building is also home to decorative 5th Century mosaics which were damaged in the blaze. It is operated by the Roman Catholic Benedictine order.
Police spokeswoman Luba Samri said in a statement, “Several Jewish suspects have been arrested for the burning of the church and the Nazareth court has decided to extend their detention for the purposes of the investigation.”
