An Arab terrorist attempted to attack a group of Border Policeman on Wednesday evening near the Damascus Gate in Jerusalem.
The Arab approached the policemen, shouting "Allahu Akbar" and lunging when he got close. The policemen managed to take control of the Arab but in the ensuing scuffle the terrorist stabbed one in the leg with a knife.
The policeman, 19, is stable and conscious and has been evacuated to the capital's Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital in light condition.
The terrorist, a 56-year-old resident of Hevron, was arrested by security forces and interrogated. He was revealed to have been previously jailed for murdering Israelis but was released in 2013 as part of negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
According to an initial investigation, the terrorist entered Jerusalem illegally with the intent of attacking policemen; be brought both a knife and an ax for this purpose.
At around 7:00 p.m. he saw two Border Policeman on Hagai Street. As they began climbing the steps up toward Damascus Gate, he emerged behind them and swung his ax at one of the policemen, but missed.
The policeman immediately confronted the terrorist who fled into a nearby store. The policemen went inside and forcefully arrested the terrorist, although one was stabbed by him in the process.
The unit's commander, Nisu Guetta, praised the vigilance of the Border Policeman.
"A little over two months ago, we witnessed another terrorist attack in almost the same place. The alertness of the policemen is the main reason these incidents ended before the terrorists were able to harm innocent people," he said.
Just this past Sunday, the terrorist responsible for the attack near the Damascus Gate two months ago was indicted on attempted murder charges for stabbing a policeman with a knife. The policeman sustained serious injuries in the attack.
Last week, another group of Border Policemen were attacked by an Arab terrorist at Tapuach Junction in Samaria.
One policeman was slightly injured in the attack but managed to fend off the terrorist, while another border policeman cocked his gun and fired, killing the terrorist.