Two men were arrested Wednesday in connection with the fatal stabbing of American Kristine Luken, who was killed while hiking close to Jerusalem, The Jerusalem Post reported.
Luken, 44, of Sterling, Va., was murdered Saturday — set upon in the wooded hills outside Jerusalem along with a friend.
Luken, who worked for Christ Church Jerusalem — the oldest Protestant church in the Middle East — was found dead with multiple stab wounds and her hands bound.
Her friend, Kaye Wilson, a naturalized Israeli from the UK, was stabbed 12 times but managed to escape by pretending she was dead.
The Post reported that two men had been apprehended over the killing.
Jerusalem Police spokesman Shmuel Ben-Ruby told the newspaper that no terrorist groups had taken responsibility for the attack, which officers believe was more likely motivated by political turmoil in the Middle East rather than a random act of violence.
Wilson told police the friends were attacked by two Arab men. She told reporters Sunday how one of them took off her Star of David necklace and stabbed her where the pendant had rested against her.
A memorial service will be held at Christ Church Thursday and the church plans to create a memorial in Luken’s name, The Post said.
A representative of Luken’s family declined to tell the Israeli daily where she will be buried. Luken lived for many years in Virginia while working for the US Department of Education, before moving to England.