An Arab Israeli man armed with a knife attempted to carry out a stabbing attack against a policeman in Jerusalem’s Old City Friday afternoon, and was shot dead by security forces, police said, Israeli media reported.
Police said the man, who had come from the direction of the Temple Mount, approached a group of policemen, pulled out a knife and attempted to stab one of them.
The officers scuffled with the assailant and one of them shot him, killing him.
Large police forces arrived at the scene of the attack and scanned the area for accomplices. The Temple Mount compound was shut down temporarily as forces conducted searches.
The attacker was later named by Hebrew media as Ahmed Muhammad Mahameed, a 30-year old resident of the northern Arab town of Umm al-Fahm. Police said Mahameed was carrying an ID at the time of the attack and was identified as an Israeli civilian.