JERUSALEM, Israel - Nineteen Israel Defense Forces soldiers were injured Monday night when an Israeli Arab in a black BMW plowed into a crowded intersection near Jerusalem's Old City.

The soldiers were on their way to the Western Wall to pray selichot prayers - the traditional prayers recited before Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, which is less than two weeks away.

Police said they have raised the alert level in the city as the holidays approach, though they had no prior warning of tonight's attack.

Rescue services evacuated the injured. Two are reported in serious condition.

An IDF officer shot and killed the assailant. Police sappers examined the body to make sure he wasn't armed with an explosives belt.

Monday night's attack is the third time a terrorist has used a vehicle in an attack instead of a gun or a bomb.

In two separate incidences in July, Israeli Arabs from east Jerusalem neighborhoods used construction bulldozers to attack civilians.

Three people were killed and dozens wounded in the first attack on July 2. Three weeks later, 18 people were injured when a terrorist rammed his bulldozer into a city bus and several cars.