The American Department of Justice has issued arrest warrants for two Palestinians serving long jail sentences in Israeli prisons for a terrorist attack that led to the death of a US citizen and left a British woman seriously wounded.

Ayad Fatafta and Kifah Ghanimat launched the attack on Kristine Luken, an American citizen, and her friend, Kay Wilson, on December 18, 2010.

The two women were hiking near an archaeological site when the attack — carried out with knives and a machete — took place. Ms Luken, who was 44, died at the scene, while Ms Wilson, a tour guide, was seriously wounded but survived.

Today, Ms Wilson said in a Facebook post: “Wanna know the best I’ve news have had for six years? The US Department of Justice has just issued an arrest warrant for the terrorists who tried to murder me and murdered my friend Kristine Luken.

“Although the prisoners are in an Israeli jail, should my government [Ms Wilson has joint Israeli and British citizenship, and lives in Israel] ever decide to let murderers free again in a prisoner exchange, these cold-blooded savages will not be released. Instead, they will be shipped off to the USA to stand trial there. I’m so relieved, I’m near to tears.”

The criminal complaint was filed today in Washington DC, charging Ayad Fatafta and Kifah Ghanimat - both around 39 years old and from areas controlled by the Palestinian Authority.

In 2012, Fatafta and Ghanimat were both convicted in an Israeli court of murder and other offences in connection with the abduction and stabbing of the two women.

Fatafta was sentenced to life imprisonment plus 20 years, while Ghanimat was sentenced to two life terms plus 60 years, for this and another crime.