A typical Friday in Jerusalem. Not.
Arab attacker killed in J'lem Old City
A security guard shot and killed an Arab attacker in the Old City of Jerusalem on Friday after the man shot and moderately wounded another security guard, police said.
Ten bystanders were lightly to moderately wounded in the shootout - apparently from the guard's gunfire - including six Jews, two Armenians and two Muslims.
Police and rescue officials were on the scene, and a police source told Israel Radio that the "situation was under control."
The late-morning incident occurred near the Latin Patriarchate by the Jaffa Gate, when the assailant grabbed the guard's gun and shot him twice in the chest, Jerusalem Police spokesman Shmuel Ben-Ruby said. The second guard killed the man as he tried to flee the scene.
It's quite remarkable that no one (thank God) was killed other than the attacker. So far, his identity appears to be a mystery. Another mystery, perhaps, is the connection between this incident and the Ateret Cohanim Yeshiva. I'm pretty sure the only connection is that the secuity guard who shot the attacker happened to work there. As noted in the JPost report above, the incident took place near the Jaffa Gate. The Yeshiva is down by the Kotel (Western Wall). That's a bit of a hike.
Finally, I'm going to take a page from Meryl's book and point to the Reuters version of this story.
Gun fight in Jerusalem kills one
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - A man grabbed a gun from an Israeli security guard and shot him in Jerusalem's Old City on Friday, sparking a gun battle in which the attacker was killed and at least 10 others injured, police and medics said.
Israeli police identified the assailant as an "Arab man" between 18 and 20 years old. An Israeli police commander described the man as a "terrorist", though he did not say what may have motivated the shooting.
For Reuters, when a man grabs a gun and starts shooting at people in a crowded market, the effort to stop him is characterized as a "gun fight" and you need to clarify his motivation before you call him a "terrorist." While I agree about the "terrorist" part, I just wish Reuters (among others) would apply a consistent standard for such things. (... not holding my breath ... )
Shabbat Shalom.
