A Palestinian was shot dead and an Israeli policeman was wounded when a Palestinian gunman opened fire in occupied east Jerusalem today, Israeli police said.
"A police officer noticed a suspicious man near Damascus Gate and when he went to check him, the man shot him with a pistol," police spokesman Gil Kleiman said.
"Police shot at the suspect and he returned fire, killing a Palestinian bystander," he said, adding that the man fled the area.
"The man threw away the gun and started running," he said, adding that the man had escaped and that searches were underway. Police later said the man, a Palestinian from Hebron, had been arrested.
The wounded policeman, who was said to be in moderate condition, was taken to Ein Kerem hospital in Jerusalem, a spokesman for the Israeli emergency services said.
Initial reports had said the incident occurred next to Herod's Gate, some 50 meters (yards) further east.
AFP