Al-Aqsa mosque fire
1969 arson attack in Jerusalem / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Al-Aqsa mosque fire was an arson attack on Jerusalem's al-Aqsa Mosque, the primary prayer hall within the Al-Aqsa compound, on 21 August 1969. The attack was carried out by Australian citizen Denis Michael Rohan, who initially set fire to the pulpit.[1]
The event has been described as "an act which plunged the Middle East into its worst crisis since the June, 1967, Arab-Israel war",[2] and was a key catalyst for the creation of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.[3]
The 12th-century minbar of the al-Aqsa Mosque was destroyed in the fire.
Initially, Israelis blamed the fire either on an accident related to ongoing renovations, or to a false flag attack by Palestinian group Fatah.[4]