Palestinian terrorist murders 7 in east Jerusalem synagogue
'We are currently conducting searches in the area to rule out the possibility that there are more people involved,' says Israel's police chief
A terror attack on Friday left seven people dead and three wounded in the ultra-Orthodox settler neighborhood Neve Ya'akov in east Jerusalem before the terrorist was "neutralized" and another assailant fled.
Reports indicated that the terrorist arrived at the ultra-Orthodox settlement in a car and stopped near a synagogue. He then shot at the Jewish place of prayer "for several minutes."
"This is a serious and complex attack with a large number of victims," said Israeli police chief Kobi Shabtai. "We are currently conducting searches in the area to rule out the possibility that there are more people involved who are walking around freely. The terrorist was neutralized by a police officer and a volunteer of the Israel Police, they prevented a larger attack and neutralized the terrorist."
The terrorist was identified as Alqam Kheiri, a 21-year-old resident of east Jerusalem.
Shortly after the incident, Gaza's terrorist groups Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad said the massacre was a "natural response" to the "crimes of the [Israeli] occupation."
“The Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement praises the suicide operation in Jerusalem, which came at the right time and place in response to the Jenin massacre," said PIJ spokesperson for the West Bank, Tariq Ezz El-Din.
An Israeli raid on Thursday in the West Bank town of Jenin left nine Palestinians dead, leading to a brief rocket exchange between the Gaza-based terrorist groups and Israel.
"We salute the jihadist and resistance action in the city of Jerusalem. The heroic operation comes as revenge for the martyrs of Jenin. The operation in Jerusalem is a natural response to the crime of occupation in Jenin. The revolutionary youth and the resistance imposed an equation that kills for killing. The battle with the occupation continues and continues," said Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem.
The U.S. State Department condemned the attack and said it was in "direct contact with our Israeli partners."
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was expected to soon conduct a security situation assessment alongside Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.