Knife-wielding Palestinian shot dead near Jerusalem: Police

Israeli police shot dead a knife-wielding Palestinian who attempted to stab colleagues at an east Jerusalem checkpoint, a spokeswoman said on Saturday.

Jerusalem: Israeli police shot dead a knife-wielding Palestinian who attempted to stab colleagues at an east Jerusalem checkpoint, a spokeswoman said on Saturday.

The 17-year-old assailant from the Al-Tur neighbourhood of annexed Arab east Jerusalem managed to get past one checkpoint but was brought down at a second near Al-Zaim without any police casualties, the spokeswoman said.

Police distributed a photograph of a knife and cleaver they said the slain suspect was carrying.

Palestinian activists in Jerusalem named the dead teenager as Ali al-Ghannam, and said his father was summoned by police to identify the body.

Jerusalem police commander Moshe Edri said the "determined actions" of security forces at the two checkpoints "saved lives."

Al-Zaim checkpoint, where the suspect was shot dead shortly before midnight (2100 GMT Friday), lies on the main highway east from Jerusalem.

Clashes broke out in Ghannam`s home neighbourhood on Saturday as young Palestinians in Al-Tur protested against the killing of the teenager.

Around 50 protesters threw stones and rolled burning tyres at Israeli security forces, who responded with tear gas and rubber bullets, an AFP correspondent reported.

Five protesters were wounded.

Police spokeswoman Luba Samri said one officer had suffered minor injuries from a stone to the face and police had used "riot dispersal means" to quell the protest.

She said there were no immediate arrests.

Palestinians in east Jerusalem declared a general strike.

A Palestinian information centre said that police were refusing to release Ghannam`s body for burial unless the family agreed to restrictions on the number of mourners.

The teenager`s father rejected the Israeli terms, the Silwan information centre said on its Facebook page.

Israel routinely places restrictions on the funerals of Palestinians killed in suspected political violence in a bid to prevent them becoming the focus of protests.

There was no immediate claim of involvement by any Palestinian militant group in Ghannam`s actions and he had no known affiliations.

Jerusalem has been shaken by a spate of apparent lone wolf attacks by Palestinians since last October.

Earlier this month, an Israeli man was killed and a woman seriously wounded when a Palestinian driver deliberately rammed his car into a bus stop.

In March, five Israelis were wounded when a Palestinian drove into a group of pedestrians before getting out of his car to try to stab people.

In November, an Israeli border policeman was killed and several people wounded when a Palestinian drove his vehicle into passengers waiting at a tram stop.

A three-month-old Israeli-American was among two people killed in a similar attack in October.

Tensions have been running high in Jerusalem since the killings of Israeli and Palestinian captives in tit-for-tat kidnappings by Palestinian militants and Jewish extremists last summer.

 

Zee News App: Read latest news of India and world, bollywood news, business updates, cricket scores, etc. Download the Zee news app now to keep up with daily breaking news and live news event coverage.