A combined terror attack planned for Jerusalem's Old City was thwarted, the Shin Bet and Israel Police revealed Wednesday evening. A 19-year-old resident of the Beit Hanina neighborhood in eastern Jerusalem was arrested after investigators uncovered his plan to detonate an explosive device at Lions' Gate, then enter the Temple Mount compound and open fire on Jewish civilians and police officers.
According to the investigation, the attack was designed in two stages. The suspect intended first to set off a bomb near Lions' Gate, then proceed to the Temple Mount armed with a firearm and shoot at civilians and security forces. His stated goal, as emerged during interrogation, was to kill as many people as possible before escaping the scene.
The investigation revealed this was no hastily conceived plan. The suspect had been preparing to carry out the attack for approximately two years, during which he conducted reconnaissance and gathered intelligence on security arrangements in the area.
Among other preparations, he would use his Friday prayer visits to study the locations of security cameras and the deployment of security forces. At the same time, he searched for ways to obtain weapons through the dark web as part of his preparations for the shooting phase of the attack.
