The mayor of Jerusalem and a bodyguard sprang into action and detained a Palestinian man shortly after he stabbed an Orthodox Jew near city hall on Sunday.
Nir Barkat and his security team were in a car headed to a meeting when they saw the attack unfold, The Times of Israel reported.
An 18-year-old Palestinian man stabbed his victim, an ultra-Orthodox Jew in his mid-20s, in the abdomen.
“I was traveling in a car next to the IDF Square [Safra Sqaure] when my team suddenly saw a terrorist with a knife right next to us. I immediately jumped out of the car together with my team, [my bodyguard] pulled out his gun and together we held the terrorist until security forces arrived, we also attempted to treat the victim,” Barkat told Y Net News, an English-language Israeli website.
Barkat and the security guard were able to get the attacker to drop his knife, the Times reported.
Barkat, who is 55 years old and has been mayor of Jerusalem since 2008, can be seen in the white shirt in the photos and video below.
BREAKING PHOTOS: Mayor of Jerusalem @NirBarkat (White shirt) holding down Palestinian terrorist stabber. pic.twitter.com/HLftaZXrBT
— JewishFeed.com (@JewishFeed) February 22, 2015
The victim was taken to the hospital but did not suffer serious injuries.