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Five Injured by Car in Terror Attack in Jerusalem

by TheTower.org Staff |

At least five people were injured today in Jerusalem when a car plowed into a group of pedestrians in an apparent terror attack. The Times of Israel reported:

A Palestinian man in a private vehicle hit the five, who included a bicycle rider and a pedestrian, as they stood on a sidewalk. According to initial reports, the man then emerged from the vehicle with a butcher’s knife and attempted to stab passersby, but was swiftly shot and incapacitated by a Border Policeman and a Light Rail security guard at the scene.

The five victims suffered light-to-moderate injuries. They were treated at the scene by paramedics before being evacuated to the hospital.

The attacker was seriously injured. He, too, was taken to the hospital. Israel Radio reported that the man was a resident of the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Ras al-Amud.

The holiday of Purim is being celebrated today in Jerusalem.

Following the attack, Jerusalem’s Mayor Nir Barkat issued a statement addressing the attack and the city’s response to it:

We will not let terror disrupt our daily lives and we will continue to fight it without compromise. I would like to commend the security personnel, the municipal guards, the police and alert citizens who quickly brought the event to an end and prevented further injuries.

Our response to terror is to continue on with our routine, and as such all Purim events in the capital will continue as planned and the security throughout the entire city will be increased, including the main event to be held at Safra Square in a closed and secure location. I invite all the residents of the country to celebrate Purim in Jerusalem and strengthen us.

The incident recalls a string of similar attacks late last year. In one case in the West Bank, a terrorist attempted to ram his car into a group of people, then exited his vehicle and stabbed a young woman to death. In another incident, a baby was killed and eight others were injured when a man plowed his car into them near a light rail station in northern Jerusalem.

The attacks came amid an escalation in incendiary rhetoric and praise for violence by Palestinian officials, as well as campaigns on Palestinian social media encouraging a “car intifada.”

[Photo: Welby Ainsworth / YouTube ]

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