A Jewish resident of Jerusalem’s Old City narrowly escaped injury after an Arab man allegedly chased him with an axe in what his attorney describes as an attempted assault.
According to attorney Haim Bleicher of the Honenu legal aid organization, the incident occurred after the suspect had been involved in a confrontation with other Jews in the area. Bleicher said his client had no connection to that altercation and was simply leaving his home when the attack unfolded.
In a letter sent to police, Bleicher wrote that his client stepped outside his residence on Khaldaya Street after hearing shouting and commotion nearby.
"Within a few seconds, to his utter dismay, he saw a man run toward him in a frenzy, holding an axe in his hand and trying to catch him in order to physically harm him. Fortunately, my client managed to escape the scene and avoid physical injury," the attorney wrote.
Bleicher criticized what he described as the authorities' failure to detain the suspect, claiming the alleged attacker continues to walk freely in the neighborhood while the axe remains outside his home.
"This is a serious incident involving an attempt to harm a person with an axe. It is perplexing how a person who committed such a dangerous act is allowed to roam freely and is given a second chance to harm the victim or other people. He must be arrested immediately and brought to trial with the full severity of the law."
Police have not yet publicly announced an arrest in connection with the incident.