An Israeli security guard shot and killed a fellow Israeli man in Jerusalem, beside the Western Wall, one of Judaism's holiest sites, Reuters reported. The site was immediately shut to visitors following the shooting, police said.
The guard opened fire after the man, in a nearby restroom was heard shouting in Arabic, 'God is Great,' or 'Allahu Akbar,' Israeli police spokesman Mickey Rosenfeld said.
Rosenfeld said the guard opened fire because he suspected the man was a Palestinian terrorist: "The fact he shouted Allahu Akbar, that seems to be why the security guard drew his weapon and fired a number of shots at him," he said.
Thousands of people worship each week at the Western Wall. Its plaza is revered by Jews as the place where two Biblical temples once stood.
The victim was identified as Doron Ben Shlush. The security guard was silent in his interrogation and refused to give his own version of events, YNET reported. The guard is suspect of murder, and the judge remanded him until Tuesday.
His lawyer said in court that his client is "a new security guard who doesn't know everyone."The suspect's lawyer said in court that his client served with distinction in the Israeli Defense Forces. According to him, "he is the salt of the earth, and was a candidate for a sensitive position."
The shooting occurred at around 7:40 a.m. on Friday. No one else was injured. A Jerusalem resident who said he knew the victim said, "the security guard should have first shot in the air, even if the guy was crazy he should have shot his foot, not straight at the chest. He made a mistake by shooting him with so many bullets, I don't understand why he shot him with 10 bullets."
Magen David Adom ambulances were rushed to the scene but were forced to pronounce the man dead after trying unsuccessfully to resuscitate him for 20 minutes.
Ben Shlush is survived by his daughter and a brother and two sisters. Two of them live in France and one in the town of Beersheba. His mother also resides in the town of Hadera, Israel.
