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Driver 'rams car into pedestrians in Jerusalem in suspected terrorist attack' Hamas claims responsibility for Jerusalem 'terror attack' where driver rammed pedestrians
(about 3 hours later)
A driver rammed a car into pedestrians in Jerusalem this morning in a suspected terror attack, police have said. A driver has rammed a van into pedestrians in East Jerusalem in a suspected Hamas terror attack, killing one person and injuring a dozen more.
Officers shot the suspect dead after the incident, officials said, which appeared to target people waiting at a Light Rail stop in East Jerusalem. After crashing the vehicle, the driver got out with a metal bar and began to attack people nearby, police said.
A spokesperson for Israel Police said an unconfirmed number of injured people were taken to hospital and the area has been closed off. The man, who was shot dead by police at the scene, was identified by an Israeli security official as Ibrahim al-Acri and the militant Islamist group Hamas claimed responsibility for what it termed “the heroic running-over operation”.
In a similar incident last month, a three-month-old baby girl was killed and seven people wounded when another man drove a car into a crowded station near Ammunition Hill in Jerusalem. A statement translated by the Jerusalem Post called al-Acri a “martyr” and hailed the attack as “a heroic operation.”
The suspect, Abdel Rahman Al-Shaludi, was also shot dead by security officials. “We congratulate the activity carried out by Jerusalem's blessed heroes that targeted soldiers and security men,” it said.
Jerusalem has seen weeks of angry protests after Rabbi Yehuda Glick was shot at the prominent religious site known as Temple Mount by Jews and the Holy Sanctuary or al-Haram al-Sharif by Muslims. “This was a result of the crimes of the Zionists who continue to attack the worshipers and to violate the Palestinians' holy sites.
Masked youths clash with Israeli security forces in East Jerusalem after a suspect was shot dead The site, which contains the al-Aqsa Mosque and Dome of the Rock, saw renewed clashes today after the attack on Rabbi Glick and subsequent police shooting of a suspect sparked demonstrations. "We call on the people of Jerusalem and the West Bank and all of the Palestinians to carry out more of these activities with full force in order to defend al-Aqsa.”
CCTV footage from the attack at the light rail station The statement was referring to the continuing dispute over the religious site known as Temple Mount by Jews and the Holy Sanctuary or al-Haram al-Sharif by Muslims, where protests have been raging since the shooting of a Jewish activist last week.
A spokesperson for Israel Police said an officer from the Border Police died after today’s attack and 13 others were hurt, including three seriously.
Crowds were hit at two separate locations – one near the rail station on the corner of Bar-Lev and Shimon Hatzadik roads and another in Moshe Zaks Street.
People gather at the scene after a Palestinian driver rammed his vehicle into a crowded train platform lies at the scene Police and witnesses said the driver slammed his van into three paramilitary border policemen crossing a street straddling Palestinian and ultra-Orthodox Jewish areas and then into people at the railway stop, before getting out with the metal bar.
“A border policeman, taking the initiative, drew his weapon and eliminated the terrorist,” Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat told reporters at the scene.
Footage from the station showed a white minivan careering down the track, dragging several people along the ground.
It was the second incident of its kind in two weeks, after a three-month-old baby girl was killed and seven people wounded when another man drove a car into people at a station near Ammunition Hill in Jerusalem.
Yehuda Glick, a 'Temple Mount' Jewish activist, at a conference at the Menachem Begin Heritage Centre in Jerusalem on October 29, just before he was shot The suspect, Abdel Rahman Al-Shaludi, was also shot dead by security officials.
Jerusalem has seen weeks of angry protests after Rabbi Yehuda Glick was shot at the Temple Mount/Holy Sanctuary.
The site, which contains the al-Aqsa Mosque and Dome of the Rock, was closed last week after protesters clashed over the attack and subsequent police shooting of a suspect.
The Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, called the closure of the holy site a “declaration of war”, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the shooting of Mr Glick an “act of terrorism”.The Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, called the closure of the holy site a “declaration of war”, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the shooting of Mr Glick an “act of terrorism”.
Yehuda Glick, a 'Temple Mount' Jewish activist, at a conference at the Menachem Begin Heritage Centre in Jerusalem on October 29, just before he was shot The Noble Sanctuary/Temple Mount is open to Jews and followers of other religions as visitors but only Muslims are allowed to pray at the site. One of the last messages on a Facebook page appearing to belong to al-Acri praised the shooting.
It lies in East Jerusalem, which was captured by Israel in the Six-Day War of 1967 and remains a focal point for the Arab-Israeli conflict as the Palestinian Authority continues to claim sovereignty. There have been daily Palestinian street protests in East Jerusalem, raising Israeli concern of a new Intifada, or uprising, after the collapse of US-brokered peace talks last April.
The Temple Mount/Noble Sanctuary compound with The Dome of the Rock Police deployed stun grenades outside the Noble Sanctuary/Temple Mount as protests continued on Wednesday and although quiet temporarily returned, tensions were expected to flare again after the van attack.
The sensitive religious site, claimed as the most holy in Judaism and third-most sacred in Islam - is open to Jews and followers of other religions as visitors but only Muslims are allowed to pray there.
Jordan recalled its ambassador to Israel on Wednesday in protest against the Noble Sanctuary closure, which it called an Israeli "violation". It was the first time it has done so since the countries made peace in 1994, Jordanian officials said.
It lies in East Jerusalem - which was captured by Israel in the Six-Day War of 1967 and remains a focal point for the Arab-Israeli conflict as the Palestinian Authority continues to claim sovereignty.
It is a flashpoint for violence when tensions rise in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories and has seen angry protests over the summer.It is a flashpoint for violence when tensions rise in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories and has seen angry protests over the summer.
As well as tensions following the 50-day war in Gaza earlier this year, there is anger over Israel’s plans to press forward with the construction of Jewish settlements in the largely Muslim East Jerusalem.As well as tensions following the 50-day war in Gaza earlier this year, there is anger over Israel’s plans to press forward with the construction of Jewish settlements in the largely Muslim East Jerusalem.
Additional reporting by Reuters