Police arrest Palestinian teens planning attack in Old City

Police say they arrested a group of Palestinians teenagers planning a stabbing attack at Damascus Gate, in Jerusalem’s Old City.

In a statement, police say that on Thursday morning they spotted a suspicious-looking Palestinian teenager carrying a backpack near a turnstile leading into the Shuafat refugee camp in East Jerusalem. On the other side, leading into central Jerusalem, stood a similarly dressed teen and two other minors acting as lookouts.

A knife found in a bag belonging to teens from the Shuafat refugee camp in East Jerusalem. (Israel Police)

Police officers apprehended the minors after noticing a bag changing hands. They found two large knives in the bag.

During an interrogation, a boy said he planned on teaming up with friends to carry out a terror attack at Damascus Gate in the Old City.

A police commander overseeing the investigation says that “the alertness of police officers at the checkpoint enabled the identification of the cell and the interception of the knives intended for use in a stabbing attack.”