Shin Bet says it foiled Jerusalem Ramadan shooting attack

The Shin Bet security service and the Israel Police say they foiled a plot by an Arab Israeli to carry out a shooting attack in the Old City of Jerusalem during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

According to the joint statement, the suspect, identified as Uday Mobarsham, a resident of the village of Makr in the north, was detained in February after he purchased a homemade rifle and began training with it.

During his interrogation, he said he planned to open fire on police officers or Jewish Israelis near the Old City’s Damascus Gate.

“Foiling this attack was significant, given that we assess that if his plan had been carried out during Ramadan it could have undermined the quiet and led to a dangerous escalation in the Jerusalem area during a period of high security tensions,” a Shin Bet source says.