Easter tragedy in Jerusalem as British student is knifed to death
A 20-YEAR- OLD British woman was stabbed to death with a kitchen knife in Jerusalem as Christians gathered to mark Good Friday.
Hannah Bladon was staying in the country as an exchange student when she was attacked on a tram close to the Old City.
Police arrested Jamil Tamimi, 57, a Palestinian man from East Jerusalem who was described as mentally unstable after the frenzied attack.
Paramedics worked frantically to save Miss Bladon at the scene, but she died later in hospital.
Miriam Levy, a 32- year- old medic who helped treat her, said: ‘She was stabbed all over the upper part of her body – chest, abdomen, limbs.
‘I’ve not seen this kind of severity apart from in hospitals ... she was so young.’
Arye Jaffe, another paramedic, added: ‘She had extreme injuries and as I was treating her she lost her pulse.’
Her alleged attacker Tamimi got on the tram at Damascus Gate and pulled a knife out of his bag as it approached the next stop, attacking Miss Bladon.
An off-duty policeman who was riding the tram with his family tackled him but it was too late for the badly injured victim.
Miss Bladon, from Burton-onTrent, was an exchange student from the University of Birmingham studying at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem’s Rothberg International School.
In a Facebook post from January on an account appearing to belong to her, she reassured family and friends that she was safe, and wrote: ‘ Security is really high on campus so no worries at mo. Managed to see a lot of sites before starting my classes today so defo having a great time.’
A Facebook page for those studying at the university said she adventurousthe learn mostwasin Israel.of an her student’‘ inquisitive opportunitywho made andto
shakA friend Abel Golmut,from the also school, shared Rot- a tribute. ‘So painful ... What cowardliness to kill such a peaceful soul,’ he wrote.
Police said an initial probe showed Tamimi was mentally ill. Earlier this year he tried to com- mit suicide by swallowing a razor blade, according to the Shin Bet, Israel’s security service.
In a statement, the Shin Bet said: ‘This is another case ... where a Palestinian who is suffering from personal, mental or moral issues chooses to carry out a terror attack in order to find a
way out of their problems.’ The attack took place as the Old City was packed with visitors, many of them tourists from around the world, marking Good Friday. President of Israel Reuven Rivlin said in a statement that he was ‘ filled with sadness’ by the violence. come ‘This throughweek thousandsthe ancient gateshave of Jerusalem to celebrate the feasts of Passover and Easter throughout the city – while the security forces work to ensure the safety of the dear residents and visitors to the city,’ he said.
‘And so we will continue to do. Terror will never overcome our lives here.’
Israel’s ambassador to the UK, Mark Regev, said: ‘My thoughts are with the family and friends of UK student Hannah Bladon, who was murdered in a senseless act of terror in Jerusalem today.’
‘She was so young’