An Israeli father and son were both critically injured after a 13-year-old Palestinian boy allegedly shot them in Jerusalem Saturday, one day after an attack on a synagogue killed seven.
The father and son, ages 47 and 23 respectively, were reportedly shot in the historic district of the city by a 13-year old boy who was himself overpowered and shot by two armed passers-by who witnessed the incident, according to the Associated Press.
Police quickly swarmed the area and escorted the wounded teen away from the scene on a stretcher and transported him to a hospital where he is currently being detained, the outlet reported.
BREAKING: Israel’s rescue service says a gunman has opened fire in east Jerusalem, wounding at least two people. The shooting attack occurred less than a day after the deadliest attack in the city since 2008. https://t.co/UlmPMn98tU
— The Associated Press (@AP) January 28, 2023
Israeli police spokesman Dean Elsdunne told the BBC that the teenage suspect reportedly ambushed a group of five people as they made their way to prayers. “He waited to ambush civilians on the holy Sabbath day,” Elsdunne told the AP.
This latest attack comes on the heels of a mass shooting Friday that left seven people dead in Jerusalem while they worshipped at a synagogue. While the shooting was reportedly praised by Palestinian militant groups, it was condemned by Israeli police commissioner Kobi Shabtai who called it “one of the worst attacks we have encountered in recent years,” according to BBC. (RELATED: Palestinians Launch Rockets Into Israel Following Raid That Killed 9 In West Bank)
“This is a significant rise in the level of terror,” Elsdunne observed per the outlet.
Israeli authorities have reportedly positioned permanent counter-terrorism officials in the Jerusalem area in response to these two attacks, the outlet reported
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the AP he would convene his Security Cabinet at the conclusion of the Sabbath to discuss what other security measures might be taken as a response to the attack at the synagogue, the AP reported.