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| Israel-Palestine-Jordan |
| Ahrar Al-Jalil Brigades claim responsibility for Jerusalem bulldozer rampage |
| 2008-07-03 |
| Ma'an/Agencies – Ahrar Al-Jalil, a self-proclaimed militant group based inside Israel, claimed responsibility for the bulldozer attack in Jerusalem that left four people dead and more than 70 injured on Wednesday afternoon. In a statement Ahrar Al-Jalil named the attacker as 30-year-old Husam Tayseer Dwayat from a village in east Jerusalem. They said he was married and had two children. The statement also said he was recruited to the Ahrar Al-Jalil on 5 February 2008. Ahrar Al-Jalil also calls itself the 'Imad Mughniyya Group' after the slain leader of the military wing of Hizbullah. During the attack the bulldozer overturned a bus on Jaffa Road in West Jerusalem in what Israeli media have labeled a deliberate attack. The bulldozer left a nearby construction site and plowed into a crowded single-decker Egged bus, colliding with other vehicles and pedestrians on the way. The apparent attack took place near the old Central Bus Station and the headquarters of the Israel Broadcasting Authority. Television footage shows Israeli gunmen, apparently security officers, climbing the cab of the bulldozer and shooting the driver in the head. Israel Radio said one woman was killed while driving a Toyota that was crushed by the bulldozer. The Israeli Magen David Adom ambulance service said that a total of 22 people were taken to Jerusalem hospitals, including two in serious condition. Four were moderately wounded and another 16 were lightly hurt. The driver was a Palestinian from the Sur Bahir neighborhood of occupied East Jerusalem in possession of a blue Israeli identification card. The driver was also reported to be in possession of a pistol, and had a criminal record. The attack took place during a declared ceasefire between Israel, Hamas, and other Palestinian armed groups. |
| Posted by:Fred |