Tuesday’s attack took place on Nahalat Binyamin Street, an area popular for its restaurants and nightlife, and on the nearby Gruzenberg Street, where the attacker stabbed another person and was shot dead.

Israeli media reported that an American residency permit and border control ticket were found on the body of the attacker.

He entered Israel on a tourist visa on 18 January.

Border and immigration forces had raised objections to the man entering Israel while he was at Ben Gurion Airport, but the Shin Bet security service approved his entry, Israel’s Interior Minister Moshe Arbel said.

“I call on Shin Bet head Ronen Bar to investigate the serious incident and draw lessons from it as soon as possible,” he added.

The Shin Bet said in response: “Upon the individual’s entry into Israel, a security assessment was conducted, including questioning and additional checks, which concluded that there were no grounds to deny his entry for security reasons. The incident will be investigated.”

Hamas did not claim responsibility but in a statement praised the attack.