Palestinian teen arrested in Jerusalem shooting of 2 Israelis
A teenage Palestinian suspected of shooting two Israeli men in Jerusalem on Tuesday has been arrested, the Israeli military said.
Several Israeli media outlets reported that the suspect was a 15-year-old from the West Bank city of Nablus. The military only stated that he was “a minor from the town of Askar in Nablus.”
The shooting occurred in the Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood in Jerusalem.
“The terrorist tied himself to the incident during the initial inquiry,” a joint statement from the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF), the Israel Securities Authority (ISA) and the Israel Border Police said on Wednesday. There were no IDF injuries, the statement said.
Footage shared on social media showed a person dressed in black shooting a white car several times at close range.
According to paramedics, two men in the car were injured. Their condition is said to be stable.
The attacker is said to have first gone to a school after fleeing the scene, Israeli broadcaster Channel 12 reported. It was unclear how he was able to enter Israel undetected and obtain a weapon.
Also, three suspects were arrested in the city of Jenin on Tuesday for allegedly planning attacks on Israelis, the security forces said.
Two of the suspects were “specialised in explosives,” according to media reports.
“The terrorist operatives were recently involved in extensive terrorist activity. The terrorist operatives were engaged in shooting attacks, explosive devices and the promotion of additional terror attacks,” the Israeli joint statement said.
Eight Palestinians were injured by gunfire during the military operation, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. Jenin, along with Nablus, are considered strongholds of Palestinian militants.
The situation in the occupied West Bank has been very tense for months.
Since the beginning of the year, at least 95 Palestinians have been killed in confrontations with the Israeli army or their own attacks, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.
