Breaking! Terrorists Intending to "Set the Middle East Ablaze" Attack Near Jerusalem's Temple Mount: Two Killed

Tzippe Barrow : Jul 14, 2017
CBN News

The Temple Mount has been closed for the day because of the attack.

(Israel) — [CBN News] An early morning terror attack Friday at the Lion's Gate near the entrance to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem's Old City killed two Israeli police officers. A third officer sustained moderate wounds from shrapnel. (Photo Credit: CBN News)

Police identified the two officers as Hail Sitawi, 30, and Kamil Shnaan, 22, both residents of Druze towns in the north.

The critically injured officers were evacuated to Hadassah Hospital Mt. Scopus, where they succumbed to their injuries. The third officer was taken to the Shaare Zedek Medical Center for treatment.

Preliminary reports indicate the three terrorists, [who] all held Israeli identity cards, walked from the Temple Mount to the Lion's Gate where they opened fire on Israeli security personnel in the area before attempting to flee back to the Temple Mount.

Police later confirmed the three were from the Israeli Arab city of Umm al-Fahm in the north, where residents hold Israeli identity cards, enabling them to move freely throughout the country like any citizen.

Security forces pursued the terrorists and returned fire, neutralizing the terrorists, confiscating two Karl Gustav rifles and a pistol, and sealing off the area, thereby preventing Muslim's traditional Friday prayer at the site.

"Security assessments [are] being carried out by police officers and police commissioner. Heightened security continues in the area. The Temple Mount will remain closed throughout the day," Israel Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said in a statement.

One month ago, Border Police Staff Sgt. Hadas Malka, 23, was killed in a similar terror attack outside the Damascus Gate. According to police reports, two of the attackers opened fire on police while a third stabbed the policewoman.

CBN News