A British woman has been stabbed to death on a tram in Jerusalem.
She has been named as student Hannah Bladon by Israel’s ambassador to the UK, Mark Regev.
Ms Bladon was stabbed several times in the chest while she travelled on a tram in Tzahal Square, packed with pilgrims visiting for Passover and Easter, and died in hospital soon after.
Israeli authorities identified 57-year-old Palestinian Gamil Tamimi as her attacker. He was arrested at the scene.
Police say Mr Tamimi, a resident of Ras al-Amud in east Jerusalem, was recently released from a psychiatric hospital.
Jerusalem police chief Yoram Halevy told the AFP news agency that the man was “very mentally disturbed”.
‘Filled with sadness’
The agency said authorities had said an off-duty policeman travelling on the tram triggered the emergency stop and overpowered the attacker with the help of another passenger.
A 30-year-old pregnant woman and a 50-year-old man were also injured in the attack.
BBC Middle East correspondent Tom Bateman said the pair, who were much less seriously injured than the British woman, were either hurt when the tram came to a sudden stop or in the panic to get away.
A Foreign Office spokeswoman said: “We are in touch with local authorities following an incident in Jerusalem on April 14.”
Police cordoned off the road leading to scene of the attack near the Old CityThere will continue to be heightened security in Jerusalem after measures were brought in ahead of the Jewish Passover Festival and Easter celebrations.
Israel’s President Reuven Rivlin said he was “filled with sadness about the attack” and his thoughts and prayers are with the family of the victim.
Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld has confirmed the Briton was a 23-year-old and tweeted a picture of the knife used in the attack.
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Source:BBC
