Car overturned in Palestinian bulldozer attack today in Jerusalem (Haaretz TV image) |
JERUSALEM – For the second time this month, Jerusalem today was rocked by a bulldozer terrorist attack, with the rampage this time taking place just one block from a hotel at which Sen. Barack Obama will be staying tonight.
At least 16 people were wounded when a Palestinian Arab resident of eastern Jerusalem drove a massive tractor from a construction site and rammed into a bus, four cars and pedestrians.
The attack was halted when an armed civilian and a border policeman shot dead the terrorist driver.
According to Israel's Channel 10 news television, the wounded included a mother and her infant, and a man whose leg was severed.
Jerusalem Police spokesman Mickey Rosenfeld said, "The bulldozer driver left a construction site, and hit two cars. A civilian who saw what was happening, shot him. The bulldozer continued on its way. A Border Police patrol ... continued to shoot and the terrorist was killed."
One eye witness told Israel's Haaretz newspaper: "One car flipped over and others were crushed. I started running in the direction of the tractor. People regained their composure within seconds. A guy from Susya, near southern Mount Hebron, shot him in the head and a few minutes later a Border Police officer shot him as well."
Avi Levi, a pedestrian driver, told media he was almost killed by the bulldozer:
"I was driving on the main road when the (construction vehicle) hit me in the rear, on the right hand side," Levi said.
Bulldozer attack stopped by armed civilian today in Jerusalem (Haaretz TV image) |
"After I passed him he turned round, made a U-turn and rammed the windows twice with the shovel. The third time he aimed for my head, he came up to my window and I swerved to the right, otherwise I would have gone to meet my maker," said Levi.
Witness Moshe Shimshi told Channel 10 the terrorist driver was wearing a large, white skullcap commonly worn by religious Muslims.
"He didn't yell anything, he just kept ramming into cars," Shimshi said.
The armed civilian who shot the terrorist was identified as Ya'akov Asahel, a 53-year-old Jewish resident of the West Bank who is also an Israel Defense Forces platoon commander. Asahel fired at the bulldozer along with a border policeman.
Today's attack mimicked a similar attack earlier this month in which another Palestinian Arab resident of Jerusalem drove a bulldozer from a construction site and rammed into vehicle traffic and pedestrians. Three civilians were killed in that attack, which was also halted by a civilian shooter.
No terror group has yet claimed responsibility for today's attack, which occurred on Jerusalem's Kerem Hayesod Street, about 900 feet from the King David Hotel, where Obama is slated to stay later today.
Obama is here as part of a larger Mideast and European whirlwind tour.
The Drudge Report last week quoted U.S. government officials expressing concern for the Israeli portion of Obama's trip, particularly his visit to Ramallah.
Israeli security officials speaking to WND said the Jewish state does not have any concerns about the Jerusalem portion of Obama's visit and that proper security arrangements are being made with the Palestinian Authority and U.S. security coordinators for the Illinois senator's one-hour stop in Ramallah tomorrow.
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