Jerusalem mayor, bodyguards subdue Jerusalem terrorist
Jerusalem terror attack ends with one moderately lightly wounded thanks to quick response by Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat who was present at scene with bodyguards who overtook terrorist.
Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat was present at the scene of Sunday's terror attack in which an ultra-Orthodox man was stabbed. Together with the mayor, his security guard helped subdue the terrorist, a 18-year-old Arab teen.
Security footage of the event show Barkat (in white shirt) lunge at the terrorist who walks into the junction after stabbing the Israeli man.
Barkat told reporters that he had been on his way to the office when his guards spotted a commotion. "We saw a terrorist with a knife standing and looking for the next thing to do," he said.
He described how a guard cocked his weapon, causing the attacker to drop his knife and allowing Barkat and his guards to overpower him. "It's clear to me that if the terrorist had continued stabbing, he would not be alive right now. But because he dropped the knife we overpowered the terrorist, and I hope he is punished appropriately."
Asaf Na'amani, the guard who drew his gun, recalled: "From the moment we jumped out of the car, I noticed a terrorist armed with knife trying to cross the street. I told him to drop the knife; he froze in place and then dropped it. The mayor and I jumped on him and wrestled him to the ground. In our world, there's no such thing as hesitation – there's only yes or no."
Barkat, 55, served as an officer in the paratroopers' brigade. A former high-tech entrepreneur, he was elected as Israel's mayor of Jerusalem in 2008.
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