Gunman fires at Israeli officers in Jerusalem’s Old City, is shot dead

Israeli border police officers inspect the scene of an attack in the Old City of Jerusalem, Monday, Dec. 21, 2020. Israeli police said Monday they shot a Palestinian attacker who opened fire at a group of officers in Jerusalem's Old City. (AP)

JERUSALEM: A gunman opened fire on Israeli police in Jerusalem’s Old City on Monday, before being chased down by officers who shot him dead, police said.
“The suspect reached Huta gate (near the Al-Aqsa mosque compound) and shot at the police position with an (assault) rifle,” a police statement said.
“The officers went in pursuit after the terrorist while shooting at him,” the statement added, with a spokesman confirming to AFP the suspect had been killed.
One police officer was lightly wounded when he fell during the chase, the statement said.
The police spokesman could not provide details on the assailant’s identity.
Similar past attacks have been carried out by Palestinians from Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank, as well as by Arab Israelis.
From October 2015, Israel and the West Bank saw a wave of “lone wolf” attacks on Israelis by predominantly young, knife-wielding Palestinians.
Car-ramming attacks were also used, and more rarely, firearms. The attacks have become less frequent but have not stopped altogether.
Israel annexed east Jerusalem, which includes the Old City, following the 1967 Six-Day War, in a move not recognized by most of the international community.