MidEast

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British Student Identified as Victim of Fatal Terrorist Attack on Jerusalem Light Rail

A Palestinian terrorist stabbed a young British woman to death on Jerusalem’s light rail on Friday. The victim was Hannah Bladon, aged 21, a theology student at the University of Birmingham who was spending several months at the Hebrew University as an exchange student, where she was enrolled in course on the Bible, archaeology, and religion.

Hannah Bladon. Photo: CourtesyThe assailant, identified as 57-year-old Jamil Tamimi, a Palestinian from the Ras al-Amud neighborhood of East Jerusalem, reportedly had a history of mental illness. “This is yet another case of a Palestinian suffering from personal, mental or moral distress choosing to commit an act of terror to escape his problems,” said the Shin Bet security service. After stabbing Bladon several times in the chest, Tamimi was wrestled to the ground by two passengers on the tram.

The Hebrew University expressed its condolences in a statement: “The university condemns such acts of terror and murder that hurt innocents who have come to Jerusalem to learn and to enrich their academic knowledge. The university’s administration and staff members are providing all the necessary support to all the students, staff members and families in Israel and abroad. May her memory be a blessing.”

Israeli leaders, including President Reuven Rivlin, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, leader of the opposition Isaac Herzog, and Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon all sent their condolences to Bladon’s family. In a statement, Netanyahu said, “In the name of all the people of Israel, I offer condolences to the family of the murdered girl.”

[Photo: Yonatan Sindel/Flash90]