Two Palestinian minors caught with knives in Jerusalem
Police apprehend boys aged 12 and 13 acting suspiciously near Jewish neighborhood, find switchblades in their pockets
Jerusalem police on Wednesday evening discovered switchblades on two Palestinian minors who were acting suspiciously on a city street.
The two boys, aged 12 and 13, raised concerns from passersby and police at the junction of HaHomah HaShlishit and Heil HaHandasa streets in the capital which lies on the seam line between the eastern and western parts of the city, close to an ultra-Orthodox Jewish neighborhood.
Officers approached the pair and saw they had their hands in their pockets. A quick search uncovered the knives, and the two suspects were taken away for questioning.
“The professional action of the officers likely prevented an attack and injury to innocent people,” the police said in a statement. “We will continue to act with determination and professionalism to thwart injury to people and on behalf of public security.”
The two children are from East Jerusalem, Army Radio said.
Since the beginning of October, 25 people have died in near-daily Palestinian stabbing, shooting and car-ramming terror attacks against Israeli civilians and security forces. Many of the assailants have been teenagers. Over 130 Palestinians have been killed, mostly attackers, with some killed in clashes with Israeli security forces during violent rioting.
Earlier this month, an 11-year-old Palestinian boy who stabbed a guard on the Jerusalem light rail in November was transferred to a juvenile detention center upon his release from hospital, as the state grappled with how to handle the underage assailant.
Under current Israeli law, Ali Alkam, a 6th grader from East Jerusalem, is below the age of criminal responsibility, which is 12.
Ali is the youngest assailant arrested to date in the current upsurge of Palestinian attacks on Israeli targets. While he is too young to face charges or go to a juvenile detention facility, his 14-year-old cousin, Moawiyah Alkam, who joined him on the stabbing rampage, is facing charges of attempted murder.
According to Israel’s penal code, offenders charged with terrorism cannot be incarcerated until the age of 14. However, a bill that would lower the minimum age of incarceration to 12 has gained traction in the Knesset as the number of juvenile attackers has risen sharply in recent months.