Israeli man stabbed in Jerusalem terror attack, assailant killed in controversial shooting captured on camera

Updated at 8:40 p.m. Israel time

An ultra-Orthodox man in his 20s was stabbed today in the third terror attack in or near Jerusalem’s Old City in the past two weeks.

The victim was taken to the hospital in moderate condition and assailant was killed by border police responding to the situation.

The entire episode took place in the span of 15 seconds in broad daylight with many witnesses – and many cameras running.

In a video released by the Israeli police, the assailant is seen stabbing an ultra-Orthodox Jew several times as he walked toward the Old City. Border Police officers responded very quickly to the situation and the suspect turns on them.

The stabbing attack today at Damascus Gate in Jerusalem pic.twitter.com/BiomqC27wA

— Israel Police (@israelpolice) December 4, 2021

Mohammed Salima, 25, wasfrom a Palestinian town near Ariel. He apparently was not connected to a terror group, but was in Israel illegally, according to initial reports from Channel 12.

Shortly after the attack, a video recorded by a bystander – only showing the border guards shooting the assailant – went viral. Palestinians, using social media, then began calling the shooting of Salima a public execution. In the video, the suspect is shot, falls to the ground and a border policewoman shoots him again while he appears to be subdued.

פיגוע דקירה בשער שכם. צעיר חרדי נפצע באורח בינוני. שוטרים ירו בחשוד. מהסרטון עולה שהם יורים בו גם כשהוא על הקרקע. (אזהרת טריגר). pic.twitter.com/7QwbOyxWa4

— نير حسون Nir Hasson ניר חסון (@nirhasson) December 4, 2021

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett defended the officer and said the Border Police "took the quick and determined action expected of Israel Police officers against a terrorist who tried to murder an Israeli civilian."

"I would like to extend to them full backing. This is how our officers are expected to act and this is how they acted. We cannot allow our capital city to become a focal point of terrorism," he said.

An Arab Knesset member, Regional Cooperation Minister Issawi Frej tweeted, “Faced with attempted murder, assailants should be shot to save lives, not in order to take lives when they no longer pose a threat.”

"If the picture reflected in the videos from the Damascus Gate is correct, then it's not only a violation of army and police orders, but also an act that expresses an indifference to human life that should be investigated,” Frej continued.

The attack took place on a busy Saturday afternoon in an Arab neighborhood of Jerusalem teeming with families walking around on a normal weekend day.