Arab stabs 2 Israelis at Kibbutz Tzuba, one is seriously wounded
An off-duty police officer stopped a stabbing attack at a hotel near Jerusalem, where a hotel employee from the Shuafat refugee camp wounded two guests. Authorities are on the scene.
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A suspected stabbing attack at a hotel near Jerusalem left two people wounded, a 50 year old man moderately-to-severely and a 23 year old who was lightly wounded, according to initial reports. Police say the assailant, a resident of the Shuafat refugee camp, was an employee at the hotel.
The attack took place in the dining hall of a hotel in Kibbutz Tzuba. Eyewitnesses said the attacker entered the room yelling "Allahu Akbar" and began stabbing guests.
A police officer from the Negev YAMAR unit who was staying at the hotel noticed what was happening, engaged the attacker, subdued him, and arrested him.
The officer's swift action is credited with preventing further casualties.
Lieutenant Dean Elsdunne, International Spokesperson of the Israel Police reports that "[many] police and Border Police forces are currently operating at the scene."
Authorities have taken the assailant into custody.
United Hatzalah Paramedic Shir Chaber and EMTs Avishai Hornstein, David Lifshitz, and Avi Yudkowski reported: “We provided initial medical treatment to a patient, approximately 50 years old, who sustained penetrating injuries to his upper torso. He was subsequently transported via United Hatzalah intensive care ambulance to Hadassah Ein Kerem Medical Center. His condition at this stage is defined as serious. We also provided treatment to an additional male patient, approximately 25 years old, who sustained penetrating injuries to his upper torso. He was transported to the hospital with his condition at this stage defined as moderate.”
According to MDA spokesperson Zaki Heller, two injured people have been evacuated from the scene to Hadassah Hospital. The condition of one victim is listed as serious, while the second is listed as moderate.
One report claims that the suspect had been employed at the hotel for the past four months, giving him access to the guests he later attacked. However, the hotel manager told Kann News that today was the attacker's very first day of work at the hotel. The discrepancy raises new questions about the assailant's background and how he was able to carry out the attack.
According to the hotel, he was employed by a contracting company to wash dishes.
The assailant is 42 years and has a criminal record for throwing stones in the past.
The off-duty police officer who subdued the attacker in the hotel stabbing near Jerusalem has shared his dramatic first-person account of the incident. In a statement released by a police spokesperson, the officer described his quick thinking and the shocking discovery that his own family was among the victims.
"I was at a family event at the hotel and a moment ago, I saw people pouring out of the building," the officer said. "I understood right away that something serious was happening. I yelled at people not to run, to stay calm. I pulled out my pistol, put on my ID hat, and ran toward where the people were fleeing from. I saw the terrorist, with several civilians around him."
The officer explained his decision to engage without using his firearm. "I subdued the terrorist with my bare hands instead of shooting, to minimize the risk to the civilians there," he stated. "With the help of a few other good citizens, I put him on the floor and handcuffed him. I then saw a person stabbed in their upper body and gave them first aid. After that, I realized my cousin had also been stabbed."
