The Jerusalem District Court sentenced Samer Kamel Abu Hiduan, 21, to six years in prison this week. Abu Hiduan, a resident of the Shuafat refugee camp in Jerusalem, was convicted of planning a combined ramming and stabbing attack targeting Jews.
He was found guilty of preparing to commit a terrorist act of murder under aggravated circumstances, receiving training or instruction for terrorist activity, and attempting to use weapons for terrorist purposes.
How did Samer Abu Hiduan plan the ramming and stabbing attack in Jerusalem?
According to the indictment filed by the Jerusalem District Prosecutor’s Office in April 2025, Abu Hiduan decided to carry out the attack at the beginning of that year. He was inspired by a similar attack carried out by Khairy Alqam near the Ateret Avraham synagogue in the Neve Yaakov neighborhood of Jerusalem, in which seven Israelis were killed in January 2023.
After determining his method of operation, Abu Hiduan began making the necessary operational preparations. He started taking driving lessons in order to carry out a ramming attack, attempted to assemble an improvised explosive device based on information he gathered online, and purchased military-style knives and a club to be used in the combined ramming and stabbing attack.
Abu Hiduan also accompanied his brother-in-law on a work-related trip. During the drive, they passed the Ramot Junction along Golda Meir Boulevard in Jerusalem. There, he noticed a bus stop crowded with people who appeared ultra-Orthodox and decided it was a suitable location for the attack. He continued conducting surveillance and concluded that the early afternoon hours would be the most appropriate time, when there are many people present but relatively little vehicle traffic.
The plan ultimately failed when Abu Hiduan was arrested on 11.3.2025 during a security forces raid on a house in the town of Anata, where he was staying at the time.
Why are bus stops on Golda Meir Boulevard in Ramot, Jerusalem, recurring targets?
Bus stops located along the wide Golda Meir Boulevard in the Ramot neighborhood of Jerusalem are considered attractive targets due to the large number of people present there for most hours of the day.
On 11.2.2023, a vehicle drove at high speed into the junction leading out of Ramot toward Givat Ze’ev and struck several people waiting at a bus stop, including children. Three civilians were killed and four others were injured to varying degrees.
Another attack occurred on 8.9.2025, when two Palestinian attackers from the Ramallah area crossed the separation barrier near Atarot. After identifying a Route 62 bus stopped at the Ramot Junction, the attackers, armed with a Carlo-type weapon and a handgun, opened fire on passengers and people waiting at the bus stop. Six people were killed and eleven others were injured, some of them seriously.
