Israeli police nab 2 for vandalizing ancient site

Authorities: Men caused about $2.4M in damages to 2,000-year-old ruin

Tsafrir Abayov / AP

Israeli Nature and Parks Authority worker Shani Dvash looks at a damaged section of Avdat National Park, an ancient Nabatean city dating back to the third century B.C, in southern Israel, Monday, Oct. 5.

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updated 2:31 p.m. ET Oct. 6, 2009

JERUSALEM - Israeli police say they have arrested two men for vandalizing an ancient desert ruin recognized by the United Nations as a World Heritage site.

The over 2,000-year-old ruins of the Nabatean city of Avdat in southern Israel were defaced earlier this week. Israel's Nature and Parks Authority estimates the damage at around $2.4 million.

Police spokeswoman Salit Philipson says the two arrested are local Bedouins. She says police are investigating whether the vandalism was retaliation for the demolition by government authorities of a nearby Bedouin home on Sunday.

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UNESCO, the U.N. body for cultural preservation, named Avdat a World Heritage site in 2005. The city was used for centuries by merchants linking Arabian trade routes with Mediterranean ports.

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