The Israeli police shot dead a 26-year-old man in an incident in Jerusalem’s Old City near the Al-Aqsa Mosque. The man grabbed an officer’s gun during questioning and fired two shots, the police said on Saturday night. Then he was shot. The man comes from an Arab village in the Negev desert in southern Israel. According to the Israeli news site “ynet”, an eyewitness reported that the medical student was shot dead after he rushed to help a woman during a dispute with the police. The police dismissed the reports on Saturday as “false”. The family of the 26-year-old demands clarification.
The incident reportedly happened at an entrance to the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound – the third holiest place in Islam. According to official figures, more than 200,000 Muslims celebrated the second Friday in Ramadan there the day before. Before the start of the Muslim month of fasting, there were fears that the already tense security situation in the country would deteriorate. According to the police, the first week passed without any major incidents.
