Gunman kills at least 7 people in Jerusalem attack

Photo: AHMAD GHARABLI/AFP/Getty Images

This Friday night, a gunman opened fire, killing at least seven people in a synagogue of Jerusalem, Israel, before being shot down by the police who responded to the emergency call.

According to the police, quoted by The Israel Times, the terrorist arrived by car around 8:15 p.m. on Friday at a building used as a synagogue in the Neve Yaakov neighborhood, in the northern part of East Jerusalem, and opened fire on those attending the religious temple.

Channel 12, of local television, reported that the terrorist first shot at an old woman in the street, then he ran into a motorcyclist and shot him, before reaching the synagogue and opening fire against the people who were outside.

After carrying out the attack, the subject fled the scene in the direction of the Palestinian neighborhood of Beit Hanina -several hundred meters away-, where met the agents they were called to the place.

According to police reports, the attacker, who was a resident of East Jerusalem, was shot down by the police after opening fire on the officers as he attempted to flee on foot.

“The terrorist shot everyone he found. He got out of the car and started a killing spree with a gun”, He said police commissioner Kobi Shabtaiwho added that the attack was one of the worst Israel had seen in years.

The terrorist was identified as Alqam Khayri, 21a resident of East Jerusalem and with no criminal record for terrorism crimes, according to the Hebrew-language media.

Tensions grow between Israel and Palestine

Palestinian media reported that se were reporting celebrations in the Gaza Strip and in the city of Nablus, in the northern West Bank, after the deadly attack.

According to The Israel Times, Friday’s deadly attack followed several days of violence in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Tensions have risen sharply since Thursday in the morning, when an Israel Defense Forces raid in the West Bank on a terror cell left nine Palestinians dead.

During Thursday night, Palestinian groups fired rockets from Gaza and the Israelis responded with air strikes.

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