Israeli police on Friday morning blocked several buses going up Rt. 1 to Jerusalem with hundreds of Haredim suspected of planning to disrupt the sixth annual marathon going through the city. The bus passengers were detained for interrogation. About 40 additional Haredi men were detained in the streets along the marathon’s path, as police suspected them, too, of trying to disrupt the race.
Israel Police issued a statement saying its men and women “continue their enhanced operation to secure the orderly running of the marathon event, while bolstering regular police in the city to secure as best they can the normal daily life of local residents, visitors and the marathon participants.”
Some 30,000 runners from Israel and around the world participated in the Jerusalem Marathon. This years race also marks 50 years since the unification of the city in 1967.
Shadrack Kipkosgei, 25, from Kenya, won the Jerusalem Marathon in 2:16:33.