Israeli media reports on Friday (14 April) say a British woman in her 20s has been found stabbed to death in Jerusalem. Reports indicate the woman's attacker was Palestinian and the killing occurred close to the Old City.

The alleged attacker is a 57-year-old man, named in local reports as Jamil Tamimi and described as having mental health problems, who was arrested at the scene.

More from IBTimes UK

The victim, whose identity has not been made public, is reported locally to be a 25-year-old student though the identity and age of the victim have yet to be made public.

Reports said a man in his 50s and a pregnant woman in her 30s were also injured in the attack. Neither were said to be seriously injured.

Police commander Yoram Halevi, is said to have told Israeli media the suspect had a history of domestic violence and mental illness.

He said: "We can say the terrorist is relatively old, 57 years of age," Halevi said. "He is very mentally unstable."

Israeli security service, Shin Bet, who apparently disclosed the identity of the assailant, said in a statement: "This is one of many instances where a Palestinian suffering personal strife… chooses to carry out an attack in order to find release for his problems."

They added that Tamimi had been found guilty of sexually assaulting his daughter in 2011, and had previously attempted suicide.

The news comes as the ancient city fills with religious pilgrims over the Easter weekend to visit holy sites associated with the Jewish and Christian faiths. Police are on high alert during the busy season around the contentious site of Temple Mount, which was declared a Muslim site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) earlier this year.

The Foreign Office confirmed to the BBC: "We are in touch with local authorities following an incident in Jerusalem on April 14."

Israel