JERUSALEM – Three gunmen shot and killed two Israeli police officers early Friday at the entrance to a site holy to Muslims and Jews before the assailants were chased inside the courtyard of the Al Aqsa mosque, where they were shot and killed by security forces, authorities said.

Israel’s domestic security service, Shin Bet, said the three attackers came from an Arab town in northern Israel called Umm al-Fahm and that they shared the same last name, Jabarin, suggesting they may be cousins.

The two dead Israeli Border Police officers were members of Israel’s Druze community. Kamil Shnaan, 22, was the son of a former Israeli parliamentarian. Hael Sathawi, 30, left behind a wife and a three-week-old son.

Police said the assault began just after 7 a.m. at the Lion’s Gate into the Old City near one of the main entrances to the Al Aqsa mosque complex, an ancient esplanade also known as the Temple Mount. The site is holy to both Jews and Muslims and a scene of frequent clashes between Palestinians and Israeli forces.

After firing their weapons, the three men fled into the courtyard of the mosque complex, pursued by Israeli soldiers and police, who shot and killed the assailants, officials said.

A video shows one of the three assailants on ground. The man suddenly jumps up and can be seen swinging his arms, attacking the police, who respond on with rapid and repeated fire.

A photograph published on one of attacker’s Facebook pages a day before the assault shows two of the gunmen posing for a selfie in front of the Dome of the Rock at the complex. The caption reads: “Tomorrow our smiles will be sweeter.”

The Druze follow an offshoot of Shiite Islam, and are seen by some Sunni militant factions as apostates.

Following the attack, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas telephoned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. According to the official Palestinian News Agency, “Abbas expressed his strong rejection and condemnation of the fatal shootout that took place near Al Aqsa mosque, as well as his rejection of any violent incidents from any side, especially in places of worship.”

In the aftermath of the shootings, Jerusalem Police Chief Yoram Halevi canceled Friday prayers at the mosque and ordered the complex cleared and the entrances shut. The narrow alleys around mosque were filled with Israeli police and soldiers.

Abbas asked Netanyahu to reopen the site quickly. Instead of entering the Old City, worshipers for Friday Muslim prayers gathered at the Damascus and Lions gates.

The Associated Press reported that a top Muslim cleric at the Aqsa mosque, Mohammed Hussein, was brought in for questioning at the Israeli police station in the Old City, according to his son.

Police said the assailants used a knife, a pistol and two homemade machine guns, the type manufactured in clandestine workshops in the West Bank. These kinds of weapons have been used in attacks in recent years, including a mass shooting at an upscale food court in Tel Aviv in 2016, where four victims were killed.

Netanyahu called a meeting of his top security ministers as condemnations against the assault poured in.

The U.S. ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, tweeted: “Shocked and horrified by the despicable attack today in Jerusalem. Terrorism must be condemned by all and defeated. We pray for the victims.”

Netanyahu stressed that Friday’s closure was for security reasons and did not represent a change in what is called the “status quo” agreement about the care, custody and access to the religious site.

Murray Boulevard was closed in both directions between Galley Road and Emory Circle after a car hit an electric pole Friday morning in east Colorado Springs, police said. (Courtesy of KKTV)

Murray Boulevard was closed in both directions between Galley Road and Emory Circle after a car hit an electric pole Friday morning in east Colorado Springs, police said. (Courtesy of KKTV)