Gunfight in Jerusalem: Sagittarius kills one and injures three in the old city

Sagittarius opens fire in the ancient city of Jerusalem and kills a man, and injures at least three others. The gunman, identified by officials as a member of the Palestinian militant group Hamas, was shot dead by Israeli security forces.

A civilian who the assailant shot died in hospital from his injuries. Another person was seriously injured, and two Israeli police officers were injured, officials said.

Interior Minister Omer Bar-Lev said the attacker had a submachine gun.

The attack took place near the gates of a compound in East Jerusalem that is often a scene of violence – the site of the Al-Aqsa Mosque, one of the most revered places in Islam and the holiest site in Judaism—known as the Temple Mount.

The attacker was identified as a 42-year-old Palestinian from East Jerusalem. A Hamas spokesman confirmed that the man, identified in Palestinian and Israeli media as Fadi Abu Shhaydam, was a group’s political wing. Israel’s interior minister said the shooting appeared to be intentional, and the whole incident “lasted 32 or 36 seconds.”

Bar-Lev said the shooter appeared to be trying to disguise himself as an Orthodox Jew.

“[The shooter] was moving through the alleys and shooting a lot. Luckily the alley was almost empty; otherwise – God forbid – there would have been more victims,” said Bar-Lev. Violent knife attacks occur regularly in Jerusalem, but attacks with weapons of this type are rare.

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said he had urged security forces to be highly vigilant. Israel has occupied East Jerusalem since the 1967 Middle East War and considers the entire city its capital, though the international community does not recognize this. Palestine claims East Jerusalem.