Attempted Stabbing at Jerusalem Checkpoint; Terrorist Neutralized

A 40-year-old Palestinian man, Jihad al-Kadumi of the Nablus area, tried to stab an IDF soldier Tuesday morning at the Kalandia checkpoint in northern Jerusalem.  Soldiers at the scene shot and killed the assailant. One IDF soldier was wounded, but sources at the scene said the injury was caused by a fall, but he was not stabbed.

Police said al-Kadumi raised suspicion when he approached the vehicular traffic lanes of the checkpoint on foot. A security guard approached him and asked him to show identification. While questioning the man, the security guard noticed that the man’s hand remained in his pocket, eventually pulling out a knife and trying to stab the guard.  The assailant was neutralized during the altercation and the knife was confiscated.

The checkpoint is the main crossing for Palestinians from the Ramallah district into Jerusalem.