Palestinian pickaxe attack. Photo: Israel Police

Israeli Border Police manning a checkpoint south of Jerusalem on Thursday stopped a Palestinian man from perpetrating a planned terror attack against Israeli troops in the capital, Israel’s NRG News reported.

The 29-year-old aroused suspicion by guards when they saw a protrusion beneath his shirt, as he approached the “Tunnel Roads” checkpoint in the early morning incident.

Police called on him to halt and lie down on the ground. In their inspection, they discovered a broken pickaxe he was hiding under his garments.

The Bethlehem resident told police he was planning to attack soldiers with the tool, and was taken into custody.

“The alertness and preparedness of our forces, together with their willingness to meet the threat head-on, thwarted a terror attack,” Jerusalem-area Border Police commander Avi Biton said after the incident. “I’m proud of my men and their professionalism.”

Shin Bet terror attack Monthly summary - July 2014

Police and residents across Jerusalem and the nearby Gush Etzion bloc of communities have noted a sharp spike in Palestinian attacks in recent months, fears which have been borne out by Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) statistics.

From 22 attacks in May and June, in July and August, Palestinians and Jerusalem Arabs committed 152 attacks in the city – 83 in July, up from 11 in June.

In Judea and Samaria (the West Bank) there were 424 attacks perpetrated in July, a nearly five-fold jump from 89 attacks in June.