diff --git a/modules/app/src/test/java/org/locationtech/jtstest/TestReaderTest.java b/modules/app/src/test/java/org/locationtech/jtstest/TestReaderTest.java
index e82f1fa08e..458845ac6d 100644
--- a/modules/app/src/test/java/org/locationtech/jtstest/TestReaderTest.java
+++ b/modules/app/src/test/java/org/locationtech/jtstest/TestReaderTest.java
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@
 package org.locationtech.jtstest;
 
 import java.io.File;
+import java.nio.file.Files;
 import java.util.Iterator;
 import java.util.StringTokenizer;
 
@@ -49,6 +50,24 @@ public void testDummy()
   {
     
   }
+
+  public void testExternalGeometryNotIncluded() throws Exception {
+    File wkt = File.createTempFile("geometry", ".wkt");
+    File xml = File.createTempFile("testreader", ".xml");
+    try {
+      Files.write(wkt.toPath(), "POINT (10 20)".getBytes("UTF-8"));
+      String run = "<!DOCTYPE run [ <!ENTITY a SYSTEM \"" + wkt.toURI() + "\"> ]>"
+          + "<run><case><a>&a;</a><test><op name=\"isValid\" arg1=\"A\">true</op></test></case></run>";
+      Files.write(xml.toPath(), run.getBytes("UTF-8"));
+      TestReader testReader = new TestReader();
+      assertNull(testReader.createTestRun(xml, 0));
+      assertEquals(1, testReader.getParsingProblems().size());
+    }
+    finally {
+      wkt.delete();
+      xml.delete();
+    }
+  }
   
   public void XtestWktFile() {
     TestReader testReader = new TestReader();
diff --git a/modules/tests/src/main/java/org/locationtech/jtstest/testrunner/TestReader.java b/modules/tests/src/main/java/org/locationtech/jtstest/testrunner/TestReader.java
index 96021a8586..0a3a0f9170 100644
--- a/modules/tests/src/main/java/org/locationtech/jtstest/testrunner/TestReader.java
+++ b/modules/tests/src/main/java/org/locationtech/jtstest/testrunner/TestReader.java
@@ -101,6 +101,8 @@ public void clearParsingProblems() {
     public TestRun createTestRun(File testFile, int runIndex) {
         try {
             SAXBuilder builder = new SAXBuilder( );
+            // test files do not require DOCTYPE
+            builder.setFeature("http://apache.org/xml/features/disallow-doctype-decl", true);
             builder.setJDOMFactory(new LocatedJDOMFactory());
             Document document = builder.build(new FileInputStream(testFile));
             Element runElement = document.getRootElement();