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Jerusalem Arab shoots 7 in Old City, surrenders after manhunt

A 35-year-old pregnant victim underwent an emergency C-section. She and the newborn are listed as being in serious condition.

By Lauren Marcus, World Israel News

A resident of eastern Jerusalem who shot seven people near the Western Wall overnight Saturday turned himself in to police on Sunday morning after an intense hours-long manhunt.

Amir Sidawi, 26, arrived at a local police station in Jerusalem with the gun used to perpetrate the terror attack. He was immediately arrested, and three members of his family, including his mother, were subsequently detained by police, according to Hebrew-language media reports.

At around 1:30 a.m. on Sunday morning, Sidawi opened fire on groups of Jews near a Western Wall bus stop, striking passengers on the bus, as well as people on the street and a woman sitting in a nearby car.

One of the victims of the attack is a 35-year-old pregnant woman, who underwent an emergency C-section. She and the newborn are listed as being in serious condition.

Four of the victims were reported to be members of a Satmar Hasidic family from Williamsburg, Brooklyn, who are visiting Israel.

The father is sedated and on a ventilator in critical condition, while the mother is in moderate condition.

According to Mako, Israeli security agencies including the Shin Bet and the police quickly identified Sidawi as the perpetrator, although they were unable to physically locate him. Israeli security forces then descended upon the homes of his family members, which is believed to have been the trigger for Sidawi to surrender to police.

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A security source speaking to Mako said that Sidawi is believed to have carried out the attack on his own accord and is not affiliated with a particular terror group.

“Let all those who wish us evil know that they will pay a price for any harming of civilians,” Prime Minister Yair Lapid said in a press statement shortly after the attack.

“Jerusalem is our capital and a center of tourism for all religions. Police forces and the IDF are working to restore calm and the feeling of security to the city.”

In a statement, the Gaza-based terror group Hamas praised Sidawi’s attack on unarmed Jewish civilians, calling his actions “heroic” and an “appropriate response to the crimes of the occupation in Gaza and Nablus.”