Stabbing attack foiled in Jerusalem Old City

Police said Saturday that they foiled a planned stabbing attack in Jerusalem’s Old City, arresting a 35-year-old Palestinian woman.

The woman arrived at checkpoint near the Austrian Hospice and aroused the suspicions of the security forces patrolling there. “They saw she had an object in her hand that looked like a knife and neutralized her,” police said in a statement.

There were no injuries to the security forces and the woman was not hurt either during the arrest.

“During an initial interrogation, she said she planned to carry out a stabbing attack,” police said, identifying her as a resident of East Jerusalem.

Security forces are on high alert with tens of thousands of visitors expected in Jerusalem and Bethlehem for Christmas Eve on Saturday.