Police forces shot and wounded a resident of east Jerusalem on Monday after he vandalized cars in a Jewish neighborhood and refused to submit to a police search.
Palestinian shot after vandalizing cars in Jewish E. J'lm neighborhood
(Police spokesperson)
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Forces said he was holding a sharp object and whispering verses from the Quran. A probe into the incident has been launched.
In a statement, the police said they were called to the neighborhood of Neve Yaakov in E. Jerusalem early in the morning after a 20-year-old suspect was seen vandalizing cars parked on the street.
When the officers arrived on the scene they saw the suspect wearing a coat and holding an object in his hand. At the same time, an explosion occurred from inside one of the cars which was allegedly set on fire by the suspect.
He was asked to remove his coat to determine that he was not carrying an explosive device on his person, at which point he ignored the demand and continued to mumble religious verses including Allahu Akbar, God is great, which is commonly used as a terror attack is in play.
An officer fired one shot in his direction, causing moderate injuries and the suspect was then transported to the hospital for care.
As a probe was launched, some 11 cars were found vandalized, one of which was set on fire and the Jerusalem police suspect the man was acting under nationalistic motivation.
The incident comes days before the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan during which police forces clashed with Palestinians on the Temple Mount. Forces have been on high alert ahead of the Muslim holiday and remained vigilant throughout.
According to the commander of the force in Jerusalem, at least eight terror plots were recently foiled thanks to intelligence and the vigilance of the troops.