Palestinian killed during stabbing attempt in Jerusalem

A Palestinian was shot and killed when attempting to stab police near Jerusalem’s Old City Wednesday afternoon, police said.

There were no injuries in the attack, which took place next to the Damascus Gate, the scene of several previous knife attacks on officers and others.

A police spokesperson said Border Police officers noticed a young Palestinian man sitting near the Damascus Gate wearing camouflage clothing and appearing nervous and suspicious.

The officers approached him to investigate and as they got closer he pulled out a knife and attempted to stab them, police said after an initial investigation.

The knife used in an attempted stabbing attack at the Damascus Gate in the Old City of Jerusalem on Oct. 14, 2015. Police officers shot the attacker as he allegedly charged them with the knife drawn. (Israel Police)

The officers immediately responded and shot in his direction. The attacker ran toward them with the knife in his hand. Finally they shot and killed him, a police spokeswoman said.

The attacker’s identity was not immediately known.

The Palestinian al-Watan news website identified him as Basel Bessam Sidr, 20, of Hebron.

According to a Channel 2 report, the attacker shouted something before charging one of the officers stationed outside the Old City.

An eyewitness told the station that the attacker wore army fatigues. Police initially said the attacker attempted to stab a security guard escorting a Jewish family through the Damascus Gate.

The attack was filmed by an MSNBC crew which happened to be shooting there at the time.

A man rushing at police with a knife in Jerusalem on October 14, 2015, caught by an MSNBC news crew. (Screen capture: MSNBC)

The incident was the first of the day following a massive deployment of Border Police, soldiers and police officers across Jerusalem and the country in general, in the wake of a spate of deadly attacks in the city a day earlier.

Tuesday saw four terror attacks, two of which, in Jerusalem, left three Israelis dead. All told, over 30 were injured. Monday had four terror attacks as well.

A string of terror attacks over the last two weeks by East Jerusalem residents and others have rocked the country and Jerusalem, setting residents on edge and drawing heavier police presence and other anti-terror measures.

On Saturday, five policemen were injured in two separate attacks at the Damascus Gate, including a number of officers hurt in a friendly fire incident while trying to shoot an attacker.

On Friday, a Palestinian teen in the same area stabbed two people before being shot.