Palestinian man shot dead after alleged East Jerusalem knife attack

A Palestinian man was shot dead by Israeli security forces after wounding two border guards in a knife attack near an entrance to the Old City in occupied East Jerusalem, according to an Israeli police statement. 

Family members named the man as 25-year-old Ibrahim Matar from the Jabal Mukaber area of East Jerusalem.

Witnesses cited by the Palestinian Maan news agency said that Matar had been shot four times at close range following a dispute.

They said that police appeared to be in control of the situation and suggested that Matar could have been detained rather than shot.

Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said security forces later raided his home and arrested four people.

Family members said they included Matar's father, according to the AFP news agency.

One of the border guards was seriously injured while the other was lightly wounded, police said.

The shooting happened ahead of dawn prayers as worshippers were heading to al-Aqsa Mosque in the Old City.

Israeli forces were heavily deployed around the scene of the shooting, with many people prevented from reaching the mosque because of the lockdown.