JERUSALEM (AA) – A Jordanian man was shot dead Saturday in an alleged stabbing attack in East Jerusalem, according to Israeli police.
In a statement, police spokesperson Luba Sumari said an assailant armed with a knife stabbed an Israeli police officer at Al-Silsila gate in Jerusalem’s old city.
“The police at the scene shot the assailant, resulting in his death,” Sumari said.
Police identified the attacker as Muhammad Abdullah Salim al-Qassagi, a 57-year-old Jordanian citizen, who arrived in Israel a week ago.
Sumari said the officer was moderately injured in the attack.
According to witnesses an Israeli security guard at the scene also shot the attacker in the head, while backup police who arrived later slammed a table over the incapacitated man.
Israeli medics arrived within minutes and treated the injured police officer, the “attacker was left on the ground for 45 minutes without any medics coming near to him,” until the slain man was finally wrapped in a plastic bag and evacuated from the site.
Palestinian shop owners in the Old City told Ma’an News Agency that immediately after incident, Israeli forces stormed their shops, forcibly removed their customers, and forced them to shut down.
“Israeli occupation forces didn’t even give us the time to turn off the lights,” one shop owner said, while another said he was not allowed to shut off the small gas cooker he uses to make coffee.
Witnesses also said that Israeli forces detained four young Palestinian men in the area after beating them violently. A mobile juice stand was also shut down.
The Jordanian Government condmened the killing of their citizen.
Dr. Mohammad Al Momani, Jordan’s Minister of State for Media Affairs, said that his country and its embassy in Tel Aviv, are following the developments closely, and want “a full and a credible investigation into the events the led to his death.”
He said that the Jordanian citizen was killed in occupied East Jerusalem, therefore, Israel, as the country that illegally occupies the city, is responsible for any escalation.
Al-Qassagi entered the country after obtaining a tourist visa from the Israeli embassy, as part of a tourist group, but left the group later.
Since October of 2015, more than 275 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli police during — or immediately after — alleged attacks on Israelis or in clashes with Israeli security forces, according to Palestinian figures.
The Israeli authorities, meanwhile, say at least 48 Israelis have been killed in attacks by Palestinians over the same period.
Additional news from Ma’an News Agency and Imemc
[Photo: Israeli security forces arrest Palestinians after a Jordanian was shot dead in an alleged stabbing attack in East Jerusalem, on May 13, 2017. Photographer: Muhabiri Mostafa Alkharouf/AA]