Terrorist shot dead at Jerusalem's Damascus Gate in thwarted stabbing attack

Arab man charges Border Police after being detained for a spot check.

By DANIEL K. EISENBUD
Updated: OCTOBER 14, 2015 19:37
Security forces thwart stabbing at Old City's Damascus Gate in Jerusalem
A Palestinian terrorist was shot dead Wednesday afternoon outside of the Old City’s Damascus Gate in a failed stabbing attack, police said.
According to Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld, at approximately 4:30 p.m. Border Police in the area identified a suspicious looking Arab man, 19-year-old Hebron resident Bassel Sidar, wearing camouflaged clothing, sitting by the east Jerusalem gate’s entrance.
When police asked to search Sidar, for a weapon, he withdrew a knife from his pocket and charged the officers, Rosenfeld said.
“Police reacted immediately and fired at him,” Rosenfeld said, adding that the unidentified man died minutes later. Sidar did not have a criminal past before this incident.
The area of the attack has since been cordoned off. None of the officers were wounded, he said.
“Police continue to maintain heightened security in the area and throughout the city,” Rosenfeld said.
Wednesday’s attempted attack follows a relative lull in terrorist activity in the capital following multiple attacks on Tuesday morning.
Several metal detectors have been added throughout the Old City, including at the entrance to the Temple Mount, to prevent further attacks in the Arab Quarter, where several Jews have been stabbed since the beginning of the month.