Police on Monday arrested nine Jewish activists on the Temple Mount after finding they had smuggled a live goat onto the Jerusalem holy site with the intent of performing a Passover sacrifice.

The sacrifice was to coincide with Pesach Sheni (Second Passover), an ancient rabbinical tradition allowing Jews who were ritually impure during Passover to offer their sacrifice a month later after being declared clean.

One of the suspects was caught holding the animal, concealed in a bag. The ultra-Orthodox news site Kikar Hashabat reported that police detained the suspects for questioning and the goat was handed over for veterinary care.

Police say there was a confrontation with the suspects in the corridors of the Old City on their way to the Temple Mount. A spokesman for the “Returning to the Mount” movement, with which the suspects are associated, said they were assaulted by Muslim officials and local Arabs.

The suspects said they were trying to “renew sacrificial worship” at Judaism’s holiest site.

Israel Police officials issued a statement:

“The Israel Police, in Jerusalem and all sectors, operates alongside security forces, both overtly and covertly, against anyone attempting to disrupt public order or act against the law. We view with utmost severity any suspicion of animal cruelty or the illegal handling of animals aimed at violating law and order in Jerusalem. We will continue to identify and decisively address such offenses, investigating and arresting suspects until justice is served.”

The “Returning to the Mount” movement praised the activists, stating: “We will continue to do everything in our power to renew sacrificial worship through all means available to us.”

Police have heightened security to maintain the Temple Mount status quo, which forbids all non-Muslim rituals, including quiet prayer by Jews and Christians.

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