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Killer of British student indicted

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The Palestinian man who violently murdered a British student in Jerusalem on Passover was indicted yesterday.

The Jerusalem District Attorney’s Office filed an indictment for 57-year-old Jamil Tamimi, from Ras el-Amud, in East Jerusalem, for the premeditated murder of 20-year-old British student Hannah Bladon. Tamimi boarded the Jerusalem light rail and stabbed Bladon seven times in the chest with an 18.5cm kitchen knife, killing her.

The indictment highlighted the fact that Tamimi did not stop his attack until other passengers on the light rail, including an off dury police officer, managed to restrain him until police arrived. A 30-year-old pregnant woman and 50-year-old man were also injured in the attack.

Paramedics gave Bladon CPR at the scene and rushed her to hospital, but were unable to save her life. Tamini is thought to have identified her as a weak target due to her age and gender.

Shortly after the attack the Shin Bet issued a statement, saying: “This is yet another case among many Palestinians who suffer from personal, psychological or moral distress and choose to carry out an attack in order to find refuge from their problems.”

Bladon, from Burton-upon-Trent in Staffordshire was studying religion, theology and archaeology at Birmingham University. She had been in Israel since January studying at the Hebrew University’s Rothberg International School.

Following her death, the Foreign Office issued a statement on behalf of the Bladon family describing her as “the most caring, sensitive and compassionate daughter you could ever wish for”. The statement continued: “Hannah was a talented musician, part of a serving team at her local church and a member of her local archaeological group. She was an enthusiastic rugby player and a keen Derby County supporter. She was driven and passionate and her death leaves so much promise unfulfilled.”

Last week, The Palestinian Authority’s (PA’s) ambassador to the UK, Manuel Hassassian claimed he was “not aware of the incident” when asked about the attack while speaking at Imperial College London.

Adding to the controversy, Tamimi will receive a £800 per month income by the Palestinian Authority for his part in “resisting the occupation”. The PA receives £25m per year in aid from the British Government, though is directed exclusively at education and healthcare professionals following a review in October 2016.

In total 48 people have been killed by stabbings, shootings and car rammings in a wave of Palestinian attacks since October 2015.