‘Allahu Akbar’ – Man shot in eastern Jerusalem after arson, vandalism spree

When authorities arrived at the scene, they heard a large explosion, which was triggered by a car the suspect had set on fire.

By World Israel News Staff

An Arab man in his 20s was shot by police in eastern Jerusalem early Monday morning after engaging in a violent vandalism spree that ended with him screaming “Allahu Akbar” and brandishing a “sharp object” when confronted by security forces.

The man, whose name has not been released, damaged at least 10 cars in the Ne’ve Yaakov neighborhood, a Jewish enclave in eastern Jerusalem that was the site of a massacre outside of a synagogue in January.

The suspect smashed mirrors and windows of numerous parked cars, causing residents to call the police, Hebrew-language media reported.

When authorities arrived at the scene, they heard a large explosion, which was triggered by a car the suspect had set on fire.

Police then demanded that the suspect remove his heavy jacket and drop a “sharp object” in his hand. The man ignored the commands, the police said.

“At a certain point, the suspect began muttering Allahu Akbar [‘God is great’ in Arabic] and other verses, and an officer fired a single bullet at him,” a statement from the police read.

The suspect was transported to the hospital for medical treatment, where he is listed as being in moderate condition.

Police said they suspect the vandalism spree occurred due to “nationalistic motivations,” a term frequently used by Israeli authorities to describe crime that stems from an ideology associated with terror or anantisemitic worldview.

The incident occurred during the final days of the Muslim Ramadan holiday, which is set to end on Thursday. The period is often marked by an uptick in Islamic terror attacks in Israel, and 2023 was no exception.

During Ramadan this year, an Italian tourist was mowed down in a deadly car-ramming attack on the boardwalk in Tel Aviv. The same day, a British-Israeli mother and her two daughters were murdered by terrorists who shot them at point blank range.

Additionally, rockets were fired by Islamic terror groups into Israel from the Gaza Strip, Lebanon, and Syria.