Turkish tourist attacks Israeli police in Jerusalem
An Israeli police officer was wounded in a stabbing attack in the occupied Old City of Jerusalem, by a Turkish national, according to Israeli authorities.
According to the police, the assailant charged at the border police officer near Herod’s Gate entrance and stabbed him.
The wounded man and another officer on the scene fought off and shot the attacker dead, it added.
According to Israel’s national ambulance service, the 30-year-old police officer is in a conscious and moderate condition.
The suspect was later identified by the police as Hasan Saklanan, a 34-year-old Turkish tourist.
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A Turkish journalist, Didem Ozel Tumer, wrote on X that the assailant was an imam from Urfa, a city in southeastern Turkey, who reportedly left a tour group saying that he felt “uncomfortable”.
The police later published security camera footage revealing the assailant attacking the police officer near a police station.
The attack comes a week after three people were lightly wounded in a car ramming and attempted shooting attack in Jerusalem last Monday.
According to the police, the two assailants attempted to shoot at pedestrians after ramming them with their vehicle. When the gun malfunctioned, they abandoned the weapon and fled.
In January, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir called for restrictions on the freedom of movement of Palestinians after a shooting that killed an Israeli at a checkpoint near Jerusalem.
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