Terrorist Yassin Abu al-Qara'a
Photo: Yoav Dudkevich
Jerusalem Central Bus Station terrorist charged with attempted murder
Yassin Abu al-Qara'a wished to avenge US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital by murdering Jews, being killed in the attack, and becoming a martyr in order to 'defend Jerusalem and the al-Aqsa mosque.'
The terrorist who stabbed a security guard
at the entrance to the Jerusalem Central Bus Station earlier this month was indicted on Thursday.
Yassin Abu al-Qara'a, 24, from Nablus, was charged with attempted murder as an act of terror, as well as with illegally entering Israel.
According to the indictment, the terrorist wished to avenge US President Donald Trump's declaration recognizing Jerusalem as Israel's capital.
Terrorist Yassin Abu al-Qara'a in court (Photo: Yoav Dudkevich)
Al-Qara'a decided to murder as many Jews in Jerusalem as he could, get killed in the attack, and become a martyr in order to "defend Jerusalem and the al-Aqsa mosque," the indictment noted.
Security guard Asher Elmaliach, 46, suffered serious stab wounds in the attack. He was rushed to the Shaare Zedek medical Center, where he underwent surgery. He is still fighting for his life, but his situation is stable.
Al-Qara'a has no prior record of security offenses, and the initial investigation findings point to him having operated as a "lone wolf" terrorist.
However, police is still searching for another suspect who is believed to have aided al-Qara'a. Security footage shows the suspected accomplice giving the terrorist something before the latter went on to carry out the attack.
Al-Qara'a had a job permit for the Seam Zone—an area in the West Bank east of the Green Line and west of the separation barrier, populated largely by Israeli settlements—but had no permit to stay in Israel.
An examination of his social media posting found he was influenced by the incitement following Trump's Jerusalem declaration. "Jerusalem is in the heart, in the eyes and in the blood. I vowed to revive its land," al-Qara'a wrote in a recent post.
"On his way to carry out the attack, the defendant wrote a will, the content of which he said he remembered from his school books," said attorney Sagiv Uzeri of the Jerusalem District Attorney. "In his will, he wrote among other things that he would sacrifice his blood for Palestine."
