Tel Aviv, April 22 (IANS/DPA): Three pedestrians were injured in a car attack in Jerusalem on Monday morning, in what Israeli police are calling a terrorist attack.

After the two suspects ran over the group, they got out of the car and tried unsuccessfully to open fire with a weapon, the police said. They eventually fled.

Israeli forces found their weapon and the suspected perpetrators were apprehended and later detained, police said. They had been hiding in a closed shop.

The incident took place near the main railway station in the north-west of the city. The motive and identity of the alleged perpetrators were initially unclear.

Two people were taken to hospital for treatment after the attack, including a young man with a head injury, the Magen David Adom ambulance service said.

The Zaka rescue service and Israeli media disseminated footage from a surveillance camera that is said to show the attack. It shows a car crashing into the group with full force and several men flying through the air.

Since the start of the Gaza war more than six months ago, there has been an increase in attacks in Israel.

The week-long Passover festival begins on Monday evening with the Seder meal. Passover commemorates the Israelites' exodus from Egypt and liberation from slavery and is one of the most important Jewish holidays.