Assailant attempts to stab police in Jerusalem's Old City

Suspect shot in hand during manhunt after trying to stab group of border officers near Herod’s Gate

Police officers arrested an Arab youth who was suspected of trying to stab people in the Old City of Jerusalem on Monday, police said.

The suspect was detained after a brief chase through the Old City.

Only the assailant was wounded, police said in a statement.

According to the statement, the suspect attempted to stab a group of Border Police officers near Herod’s Gate, one of the gates on the northern end of the city walls.

Screen shot from Channel 12 showing security footage from Herod’s Gate at the Old City of Jerusalem reportedly showing a Palestinian suspected of attempting to stab passersby at the site. (Channel 12 screen capture)

The suspect then fled the scene, leading officers on a foot chase.

Officers caught up to him in the Muslim Quarter near the Lions Gate, opened fire and reportedly wounded the suspect in the hand. He managed to escape into a nearby home, where officers found him.

The name of the suspect was not immediately released.

A police spokesman said there was “heightened security in [the] area.”