Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat praised the Jerusalem Light Rail’s guards for their vigilance which resulted in the foiling of the terror attack this morning.
Barkat said, “This morning, thanks to the vigilance of the Jerusalem municipality guards of the Light Rail a major attack was prevented. The guards stationed at the Light Rail are part of the fabric of the human shield of Jerusalem against the terrorists who are trying to sow terror and fear. Our message to the public is to continue the routine, vigilant and never give in to terrorism. We must pursue the terrorists everywhere without compromise and without restraint, while continuing to develop and strengthen Jerusalem. We can be proud of the security men of the Jerusalem Municipality and the policemen of Jerusalem with their great devotion and willingness to risk their lives to save the inhabitants of Jerusalem. Thank you on behalf of local residents.”
Jerusalem resident Miriam Schwab described the scene on her Facebook page:
I’m on the bus to work and we come to a complete standstill. The bus driver tells us it’s a suspicious object, and opens the door so we can get off and walk since it looks like it will be a while. Oh man, I sigh, and start walking. I figure I’ll try to catch the light rail. I get to King George and Jaffa Road, and it’s crawling with police and taped off. More serious looking than your typical “suspicious object” situation. What’s going on, I ask two guys standing next to me. One of them saw it all: a terrorist with a bomb was going to get on the light rail. One of the train guards saw him and suspected him. He risked his life, tackled him, and neutralized the threat. That’s what I know so far. I’m a little bit freaking out, but at the same time am in awe of people like this guard who risk their lives to save all of ours. We are surrounded by heroes. Update: the guard who stopped the terrorist is a Druze Arab.