Two Chassidic Jewish men in their 40s and 50s were injured Tuesday morning in a shooting attack on Pierre Van Passen Street on the outskirts of the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood in East Jerusalem.
The shooting was carried out by a gunman who fired at the vehicle in which the two were driving in. The two men were then evacuated to local Jerusalem hospitals in moderate and stable condition. The suspected terrorist fled and many police forces, along with Border patrol units, launched a manhunt for him. During the searches, the rifle that was used by the terrorist was found.
פני הטרור, הפעם בירושלים.
— 🐭🇮🇱🐭Shlomo🐭🇮🇱🐭🚜 🌻 (@ShlomoKafka) April 18, 2023
This is how terror looks like. This time in Jerusalem.
Takhle vypadá teror. Tentokrát v Jeruzalémě. https://t.co/FuwykOWKK2
Police and Shin Bet forces surrounded an abandoned building known as the orphanage, on the suspicion that the terrorist was there. Residents of the neighborhood were called to lock themselves in their homes for fear of being shot by the terrorist. The commander of the Jerusalem district, Superintendent Doron Turgeman, was reported to be on the scene with the commanders of the forces and gave instructions to continue the hunt for the terrorist. The Knesset’s Security cabinet is expected to convene for a discussion that was planned in advance to take place later.
Footage of the shooting attack this morning in Jerusalem. The two men who were shot are in hospital in moderate condition.
— ILTV News (@ILTVNews) April 18, 2023
The police are searching for the terrorist.
More info to come. #breaking #news #breakingnews #israel #terror #attack #shooting pic.twitter.com/24q4VUFNva
The police are not yet sure if this is a lone-wolf attack, and it is possible that someone drove him to the scene of the incident and fled with him. It is believed that the shooter fled toward the nearby Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, so roads leading into the area were closed. One of the ambulances evacuating the injured was involved in an accident with a motorcycle on its way to the hospital. The motorcyclist was slightly injured.
MDA spokesman Zachi Heller said that "We received calls at MDA about two gunshot wounds near the tomb of Shimon, on Bar Lev Street in Jerusalem. Our medics and paramedics arrived at the scene and noticed two men who were conscious and suffering from gunshot wounds." He added that "from what they were able to understand, they were traveling in a vehicle when the shots were fired at them, they continued driving and when they noticed the police force, they stopped and called us. Both are fully conscious, suffering from gunshot wounds. They are being taken to the hospitals in moderate condition."
Two men shot and wounded by terrorist in eastern Jerusalem on Holocaust Remembrance Day; manhunt for shooter is ongoing.https://t.co/lStDrG9ns8
— World Israel News (@worldisraelnews) April 18, 2023
The attack comes after the Laylat al-Qadr Monday night prayer was held at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem with the participation of more than 100 thousand worshipers. From the evening hours, the Jerusalem police went on high alert, when large forces of police and security forces from other districts were stationed in the east of the city, in the Old City, and on the outskirts of the Temple Mount for fear that at the end of the prayer, extremist elements would try to confront the police as they have in the past during Ramadan.
