Waqf May Have Helped Temple Mount Terror Attack

Israel Police arrested three members of the Waqf on suspicion of not reporting prior knowledge of the terrorists' intentions and of aiding the terrorists in carrying out the attack.

The Waqf is the extremist Muslim body which runs the Temple Mount.

On Friday, three Arab terrorists walked towards the Lions Gate armed with firearms, and attacked policemen they happened to see while walking, killing two of the policemen and wounding a third.

After closing the Temple Mount and Old City, Israel Police decided to gradually reopen the Temple Mount on Sunday to worshipers and visitors.

Jerusalem District Police Commander Yoram Halevi said, "The fact is that we say that anyone who comes to harm us will not walk away from the scene alive. And that's what happens."

"People always talk about prevention, as if we live in a sterile world.

"After a year and a half of quiet, someone decided it was too quiet and didn't like that. He wanted to fan the flames and to stir things up, and he did it where he knew Israel would be most susceptible. Someone decided to turn the Temple Mount into a place of commotion.

"For the past few years, security checks have been based on identifying people, with alert policemen stationed at every gate, gaining experience. We check every bag, but we don't strip people or use technology to check them.

"From now on, security checks will become more involved. That's very significant, because there are times during the year when we get thousands of people here."