An Israeli man was seriously wounded on Saturday by a knife-wielding Arab assailant near Damascus Gate in the Old City of Jerusalem. The terrorist was shot and killed by police officers at the scene.
The assailant, who, according to police, was a resident of the village of Salfit in Judea and Samaria in his 20s, identified the victim, an ultra-Orthodox man, in the street, turned, drew a knife and attacked him.
Nearby Border Police officers responded to the attack within seconds and were in turn attacked by the terrorist. The officers opened fire, killing the assailant.
The wounded man was evacuated to Jerusalem’s Shaare Zedek Medical Center for treatment.
Jerusalem District Police Commander Doron Turgeman, who received a situation report at the scene, praised the officers’ quick response, saying, “The officers’ reaction, neutralizing the terrorist in mere seconds, prevented the attack from continuing and saved lives.”
The officers had his full support, said Turgeman.
“There is no substitute for our alertness and operational preparedness, at any place and at any time,” he said.
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, who was briefed on the attack by Public Security Minister Omer Barlev and Israel Police Inspector-General Yaakov Shabtai on Saturday evening, said in a statement: “The Border Police officers took the quick and determined action expected of Israel Police officers against a terrorist who tried to murder an Israeli civilian. I would like to extend to them full backing. This is how our officers are expected to act and this is how they acted. We cannot allow our capital city to become a focal point of terrorism.”
