JAFFA, Israel, March 8 (UPI) — An American tourist was killed and at least ten other people were injured in Israel Tuesday when a Palestinian man went on a stabbing spree, authorities said.
The incident occurred in Jaffa, located about four miles southwest of downtown Tel Aviv, and lasted for nearly 30 minutes. Investigators said the attacker randomly stabbed victims in varying assaults that occurred in different locations.
The suspect, identified as Bashar Masalha, a 22-year-old Palestinian man who had been living in the Qalqiliya refugee camp, was ultimately chased and shot dead by police.
The U.S. citizen killed in the attack was 29-years-old, police said, and his wife was seriously injured in the stabbing rampage. The tourist was not immediately identified.
Some of the victims were critically wounded, including a pregnant woman, the Jerusalem Post reported. Two border police officers were also hurt in the attack, according to Haaretz.
The stabbing was one in a wave of terror incidents across Israel Tuesday, from Jerusalem to Jaffa and Petah Tikva. Officials said four assailants were killed in the attacks.
Israel Defence Forces said Tuesday that it would close the West Bank villages of Zawia and Auja, which are the hometowns of two of the attackers.
Vice President Joe Biden was in Israel Tuesday, and was actually near the attack scene meeting with former Israeli president Shimon Peres. He condemned the attacks and offered his condolences to the family of the American citizen killed in the assault.
It wasn’t immediately clear whether Biden’s presence in the area may have played a factor in the stabbings.
