1969 Al-Aqsa mosque fire

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The Al-Aqsa mosque fire was an arson attack Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, 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. The event has been described as "an act which plunged the Middle East into its worst crisis since the June, 1967, Arab-Israel war", and was a key catalyst for the creation of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation. The 12th-century Minbar of Saladin 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.

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