1 Israeli Killed, 3 Injured in Jerusalem Terror Attack
One person was killed and three injured in a shooting attack in the Old City of Jerusalem. The attacker, a known Hamas member who used a Carlo-style submachine gun, was shot dead by police forces. Fadi Abu Shkhaidem was a well-known mosque preacher and taught Islam in a school in Shuafat. A second attacker attempted to stab security officers, before escaping the scene. Two of the police officers were injured in the attack. The attack took place on Sunday morning at about 9 a.m. near the Chain Gate which leads to the Temple Mount. The dead shooter, who is said to pray daily at the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount, reportedly was disguised as a haredi Orthodox man. He was later identified as a resident of the Shuafat neighborhood of east Jerusalem; police said he was a known member of the Hamas terror organization. Hamas said in a statement after the attack that: “The holy city continues to fight against the foreign occupier, and will not surrender to the occupation.” It also distributed sweets in celebration to Palestinians in Gaza, according to the Israel Defense Forces. The attack on Sunday comes days after a Palestinian teen from east Jerusalem stabbed two Border Police officers in the Muslim Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem. “This is the second recent terrorist attack in Jerusalem,” Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said Sunday at the start of the weekly Cabinet meeting. “I have directed the security forces to prepare accordingly and be alert, also over concern for copycat attacks. We need to be on heightened alert and prevent future attacks.”