Americans in Israel told to make themselves ‘a harder target’
Day after Har Nof terror attack, Consulate in Jerusalem urges US citizens to be more aware when visiting places with little security
The United States Consulate in Jerusalem said in a security message to Americans in Israel that the deadly attack on a Jerusalem synagogue Tuesday demonstrated “low-level coordination.”
The Har Nof synagogue attack, in which five Israelis were killed by two Palestinian terrorists, “differs from recent attacks, potentially demonstrating low-level coordination to attack a pre-identified soft target as opposed to an opportunistic random act of violence,” the consulate said in the message posted on its website and e-mailed to Americans registered with the consulate or State Department.
“While we cannot predict where and when attacks may take place, we have consistently seen a cycle of violence in East Jerusalem neighborhoods following incidents like the one today,” the consulate said.
The message came less than a day after the attack during morning prayer services. Three of the dead were dual American and Israeli citizens. The FBI reportedly is participating in the investigation of the attack.
The consulate’s message urged Americans in Israel to “make yourself a ‘harder target’ and raise your situational awareness” when visiting “soft targets” such as hotels, clubs, restaurants, shopping centers, identifiable Western businesses, housing compounds, transportation systems, places of worship, schools, or public recreation events, which the message said often have little or no security in place.
The message said that there was no information to support a belief that the American victims were targeted because they were American citizens.