Turkish tourist shot dead after stabbing police officer in Jerusalem’s Old City

An Israeli border police officer was lightly wounded on Tuesday when a Turkish citizen stabbed him from behind with a kitchen knife during a patrol in the Old City of Jerusalem, the Israel Police stated.

In footage released by the police, the terrorist can be seen following two border patrol officers in an alley near Herod’s Gate, before attacking one of them with a knife.

The officers then wrestle with the suspect before shooting him at close range. The terrorist was eliminated during the incident, according to the police.

One of the officers was lightly wounded but remained conscious and was treated at the scene, before being taken to a hospital.

Surveillance camera footage published by police shows the stabbing attack in Jerusalem's Old City earlier.

The stabber, 34-year-old Hassan Saklanan, a Turkish national, attacked a Border Police cop near Herod's Gate, before being shot dead by the victim and another officer. https://t.co/qmKEhXhRph pic.twitter.com/O7JQIVKkbd

— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) April 30, 2024

The police later identified the suspect as Hasan Skalanan, a 34-year-old Turkish citizen, who entered Israel as a tourist using the Allenby Bridge border crossing from Jordan the day before.

Despite opposing Israel and openly supporting Hamas since Oct. 7, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan condemned the attack in a short statement.

“We strongly condemn the terrorist attack in Jerusalem, which was carried out by a tourist with Turkish citizenship, and we will take necessary measures to prevent it from happening again.”

The incident in the Old City came two days after the recently re-elected Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu, seen as a future Erdoğan rival, publicly distanced himself from the president by calling Hamas a “terrorist organization” during an interview with CNN.

“Hamas, of course, carried out an attack in Israel that we are deeply saddened by, and any organized structure that carries out terrorist attacks and kills people en masse is considered a terrorist organization by us,” Imamoglu said, adding, “Unfortunately, the same thing is happening to innocent Palestinians in Israel today.”

It is highly unusual for a tourist to carry out a terrorist attack in Israel, a country known for its rigorous border controls.

The police later “praised the operational response of the Border Police fighters who worked to neutralize the terrorist professionally and immediately. In addition, [Jerusalem District Commander, Doron] Turgeman directed the continuation of the necessary investigative actions in order to rule out aides and investigate the circumstances of the attack.”

A few hours after the knife attack, Turgeman and other senior officers visited the wounded police officer at Shaare Zedek Hospital in Jerusalem, where they were told that he was in good-to-moderate condition.