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British Woman, 20, Killed In Stabbing Attack In Jerusalem

Boys Will Be Boys Jews and Arabs alike crowd onto the new Jerusalem light rail train. Even though it was delayed for years, the train is worth the wait. Image by AHMAD GHARABLI

By JTA April 14, 2017

A 20-year-old British woman was killed during a knife attack allegedly perpetrated by a Palestinian in Jerusalem.

The woman was taken to hospital in critical condition following the incident Friday aboard the city’s light rail, Israel Radio reported. She was stabbed by a 57-year-old man from the Ras al Amud neighborhood in the city’s east, according to police. Yoram Halevi, Commander of the Jerusalem District in the Israel Police, told the radio station that the suspect is mentally ill and has a criminal record for domestic violence. He was apprehended at the site of the attack.

“We can say the terrorist is relatively old, 57 years of age,” Halevi said. “He is very mentally unstable. We know he recently tried to commit suicide.”

The woman lost a critical amount of blood from multiple stab wounds that the suspect allegedly began inflicting on her as the light rail was passing at the IDF Square.

According to The Jerusalem Post, she is a citizen of the United Kingdom studying in Israel.

The number of recorded terrorist attacks by Palestinians on Israelis increased last month by 15 percent from the previous month to a total of 119 incidents, the Israel Security Agency, or Shin Bet, said in its monthly report published earlier this week.

The incidents resulted in no fatalities among victims but did end with six people wounded.

The 20 attacks recorded in Jerusalem in March constitute a 30-percent increase over the 14 incidents documented there in February.

Of the 119 attacks recorded in March, 93 involved the hurling of firebombs.

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