Three hurt in Jerusalem Old City stabbing, attacker shot dead

2 civilians, policeman injured in capital’s second knifing this week; teenage terrorist posted selfies at Dome of the Rock shortly before attack

By ToI Staff 1 April 2017, 3:36 pm Edit
Ahmad Jazal, 17, from the West Bank village of Sebastia, near Nablus, in a selfie he took on the Temple Mount before he attacked Israelis and was killed in the Old City on April 1, 2017 (via Twitter)
Ahmad Jazal, 17, from the West Bank village of Sebastia, near Nablus, in a selfie he took on the Temple Mount before he attacked Israelis and was killed in the Old City on April 1, 2017 (via Twitter)

An assailant stabbed two young men and a police officer in Jerusalem’s Old City Saturday afternoon, wounding them, before being shot and killed by security forces, police said.

Police spokeswoman Luba Samri said the teenage terrorist stabbed two Jewish youths before fleeing, with police forces giving chase. He then stabbed one of the policemen before he was shot.

The victims — two civilians aged 18 and 20, and a border policeman in his early 20s — received treatment at the scene and were taken to hospital. They were said to suffer light-to-moderate wounds.

The attack took place on Haggai Street in the Muslim Quarter. This was the second stabbing attack in the Old City this week.

Security forces at the Damascus Gate in Jerusalem's Old City after a stabbing attack in which three people were injured and the assailant was shot dead by police, on April 1, 2017. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
Security forces at the Damascus Gate in Jerusalem’s Old City after a stabbing attack in which three people were injured and the assailant was shot dead by police, on April 1, 2017. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

A video filmed by a bystander showed the immediate aftermath of the stabbing.

The assailant was identified by Palestinian media as 17-year-old Ahmad Jazal from the West Bank village of Sebastia, near Nablus.

One of the victims of a stabbing in Jerusalem's Old City on April 1, 2017, is seen moments after the attack as Border Police swarm the scene (Twitter)
One of the victims of a stabbing in Jerusalem’s Old City on April 1, 2017, is seen moments after the attack as Border Police swarm the scene (Twitter)

Shortly before carrying out the attack Jazal photographed himself smiling outside the Temple Mount’s Dome of the Rock. The photos were shared by Palestinians on social media, with some praising the “martyr” for his actions.

https://twitter.com/qudsn/status/848196752872275970

Soon after the attack clashes broke out between stone-throwing Palestinians and police officers who used stun grenades, an AFP photographer said.

On Wednesday Border Police shot and killed a woman as she attempted to stab them with scissors outside Damascus Gate. The Palestinian Health Ministry later identified the assailant as Siham Rateb Nimir, 49, from East Jerusalem.

According to Palestinian media, her son was Mustafa Nimir, who was shot dead by Border Police officers in September after an apparent misunderstanding at an East Jerusalem checkpoint.

Israeli security forces stand guard at a street in Jerusalem's Old City following a stabbing attack on April 1, 2017. (AFP PHOTO / Thomas COEX)
Israeli security forces stand guard at a street in Jerusalem’s Old City following a stabbing attack on April 1, 2017. (AFP PHOTO / Thomas COEX)

Border guards closed off some the entrances and exits to the Old City following the incident and cleared the areas surrounding them, pushing back bystanders.

In the past year and a half the Old City, and the Damascus Gate in particular, have seen several attacks by Palestinians, and in one case a Jordanian national.

Agencies contributed to this report.

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