A Palestinian man rammed his car into a crowded train platform in east Jerusalem on Wednesday, then attacked people with an iron bar and injured at least six in what authorities called a terror attack before he was shot dead by the police.
It was the second such attack in the past two weeks, and deepened already heightened tensions between Arabs and Jews in the city. Earlier Wednesday, Israeli police had dispersed dozens of masked Palestinians who threw rocks and firecrackers near a contested holy site in Jerusalem’s Old City.
Police said the suspect slammed his car into the train platform in east Jerusalem first, backed out and proceeded to drive away, hitting several cars along the way. He then got out of the car and attacked a group of police officers on the side of the road with a metal bar before he was shot and killed. Police identified the man as a Palestinian from east Jerusalem.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility by any Palestinian organization but the Islamic militant group Hamas praised the attack and called for more violence.
“We praise this heroic operation,” said Hamas official Fawzi Barhoum. “We call for more such … operations.”
Wednesday’s car attack was almost identical to one two weeks ago that killed two people, a baby girl and a woman from Ecuador, at a train platform, also in Jerusalem.
Palestinian protesters and Israeli police have been clashing almost daily in east Jerusalem in recent months.
