JERUSALEM (JTA) — Two people were killed and at least six injured when a Palestinian terrorist opened fire on a light rail stop in Jerusalem.
The attack mid-Sunday morning occurred at the Ammunition Hill station in northern Jerusalem, which is located next to the Jerusalem Police headquarters.
The assailant, a 39-year-old resident of eastern Jerusalem’s Silwan neighborhood, was shot and killed by police during a brief chase during which he shot other victims. The attacker reportedly had an Israeli identification card.
The dead victims have been identified as a 60-year-old woman and a 30-year-old police officer. At least two people were shot at the rail station, the rest were shot as the assailant drove his car from the station to the eastern Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah.
The Hamas terrorist organization called the “operation” in Jerusalem “heroic,” and said the attack is a “natural response to the occupation’s crimes and violations at the expense of our people and holy sites.”
Last years, a wave of Palestinian stabbings and shootings started during the Jewish High Holiday season. The light rail station at Ammunition Hill has been the site of several car ramming and stabbing attacks in the past year.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.