Israeli teen stabbed in Jerusalem in apparent altercation

Incident appears to be criminal, not terror, police say; victim, 17, rushed to hospital in light to moderate condition

By Judah Ari Gross 22 August 2016, 11:27 pm

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Judah Ari Gross is The Times of Israel's religions and Diaspora affairs correspondent.

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An Israeli teenager was stabbed in the back in central Jerusalem on Monday night, police said, in what was likely a non-terror related incident.

Initial reports on the stabbing raised fears of a renewal of the attacks that rocked the capital last year, but as police investigated the case, it became clear that the incident was “criminally motivated,” not terrorism, police said.

The 17-year-old victim arrived at a shop on Shivtei Yisrael Street in the capital, with a stab wound to the back, according to police.

He received treatment at the scene from the Magen David Adom ambulance service, before being taken to Shaare Zedek Medical Center in light to moderate condition.

Shivtei Yisrael is near the Old City’s Damascus Gate, which was the scene of several stabbing attacks during a terror wave that began in October 2015 and petered out in early 2016.