Two knife- and axe-wielding Palestinian men broke into a Jerusalem synagogue Tuesday morning and killed four Israeli worshipers, Israeli police said.
Police responded and shot and killed the attackers, police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld told CNN. He said the men came from East Jerusalem and also had a handgun.
Six others were wounded during the attack in the Har Nof area including two responding police officers, Rosenfeld said. He said the attack took place around 7:15 a.m. while about 10 people were worshiping in the synagogue.
A Hamas spokesman said the attack was a response to the death of a Palestinian bus driver under disputed circumstances. But Hamas did not claim responsibility for the Jerusalem attack Tuesday.
“The operation in Jerusalem is a response to the killing of Yousuf al-Ramouni and the other ongoing crimes by occupiers in Jerusalem,” Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri posted on Facebook.
Al-Ramouni, an Arab bus driver discovered hanged in his bus near Jerusalem, was found dead Sunday, generating controversy among Palestinians who reject the police finding of suicide.
Jerusalem residents told to stay indoors
On Tuesday, residents have been warned to stay inside while police continue to search for a possible third suspect in the area.
Israel Defense Forces spokesman Peter Lerner called the incident a “terror attack.” Rosenfeld said police and the military are increasing security throughout Jerusalem.
Other deaths and stabbing attacks have occurred recently in Jerusalem, raising tensions.
The synagogue attack occurred not far from where a Palestinian bus driver, Yousuf al-Ramouni of Jerusalem, was found hanged on Sunday, CNN’s Ben Wedeman reported.
Police said the death was a suicide, but the driver’s brother described seeing bruises and “signs of blood” on his brother’s back.
Also on Sunday, an Israeli was stabbed with a screwdriver near central Jerusalem. That stabbing victim was taken to the hospital in moderate condition, Rosenfeld said Sunday.
And last week, a 20-year-old was stabbed and killed in Tel Aviv, and three people were stabbed — one fatally — near the entrance to a settlement in the West Bank.
The latter incident took place at the same hitchhiking spot where three Israeli teens were kidnapped earlier this year; they were later killed.
