A young British woman was stabbed to death with a kitchen knife while riding on Jerusalem’s light rail on Friday, officials said. An off-duty police officer and a passerby wrestled the terrorist, a Palestinian man from East Jerusalem, to the ground before he could harm anyone else.
Two other people were lightly injured when the tram made an emergency stop.
Medics from the Magen David Adom ambulance service carried out CPR on the woman at the scene before taking her to Jerusalem’s Hadassah Hospital Mount Scopus for treatment. She was brought to the hospital in critical condition, with multiple stab wounds to the upper body, a medic said.
She died of her wounds shortly after arriving to the hospital, a Hadassah spokesperson said.
According to MDA, the victim was approximately 25 years old. Originally said to be an Israeli woman, she was later identified as a British national. Police said she appeared to be visiting the country on a student visa. Her name was not immediately released.
The British Embassy in Israel said it was “in touch with local authorities” following the stabbing, but could not officially comment beyond that.
In addition, the ambulance service treated a pregnant woman who suffered an injury to her stomach when the light rail came to a sudden halt because of the attack, as well as a man in his 50s who hurt his leg when he tried to run from the scene, MDA said.
Emergency services evacuate an injured person from the scene of an stabbing attack in Jerusalem Friday, April 14, 2017. Israeli police said a Palestinian man stabbed a woman in Jerusalem, seriously wounding her before forces apprehended him at the scene. She later died. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)
Emergency services evacuate an injured person from the scene of an stabbing attack in Jerusalem Friday, April 14, 2017. Israeli police said a Palestinian man stabbed a woman in Jerusalem, seriously wounding her before forces apprehended him at the scene. She later died. (AP Photo/Mahmoud Illean)
Both were lightly injured and taken to Jerusalem’s Shaare Zedek Medical Center for treatment, MDA said.
The terrorist was identified as Jamil Tamimi, 57, from the Ras al-Amoud neighborhood of East Jerusalem, by the Shin Bet security service.
Police collect evidence at the scene of a stabbing attack on the Jerusalem light rail near IDF Square in the capital on April 14, 2017. (Yonatan Sindel/FLASH90)
Police collect evidence at the scene of a stabbing attack on the Jerusalem light rail near IDF Square in the capital on April 14, 2017. (Yonatan Sindel/FLASH90)
“According to an initial investigation, it seems he suffers from mental problems,” a police spokesperson said.
Earlier this year, Tamimi tried to commit suicide by swallowing a razor blade, according to the Shin Bet. He was also found guilty of sexually abusing his daughter in 2011.
“This is another case, out of many, where a Palestinian who is suffering from personal, mental or moral issues chooses to carry out a terror attack in order to find a way out of their problems,” the Shin Bet said in a statement.
Security forces have been on high alert over the Passover and Easter holidays when hundreds of thousands of people visit Jerusalem. The army imposed a closure on the West Bank for the duration of the holidays.
Video footage from the scene showed a group of police officers and civilians grabbing the attacker by each limb and forcing him to the ground as frightened commuters tried and get off the carriage.
Photo: The victim being wheeled away by medics
