Bulldozer Attack in al-Quds: Four "Israelis" Killed, 30 Injured, Including 6 Seriously

Source: Haaretz, 2-7-2008

A Palestinian from East Jerusalem (al-Quds) deliberately plowed a bulldozer he was driving into a passenger bus on Jaffa Street in the capital shortly after noon Wednesday, killing at least four "Israelis" and wounding dozens more.

Police shot and killed the driver of the bulldozer, who held an "Israeli" identification card.
Footage of the attack, which appears to have been caught multiple times on camera, shows the policeman climb up to the cab of the moving bulldozer, reach in through the window and shoot the driver in the head. A cloud of blood explodes onto the glass and the driver can be seen slumping sideways in his seat.

A preliminary investigation showed that the bulldozer left a nearby construction site, drove against the direction of traffic on Jaffa Street, hitting the Egged bus, which turned over, along with other vehicles and pedestrians along the way. The attack took place near the old Central Bus Station and the headquarters of the "Israel" Broadcasting Authority.

Magen David Adom rescue services said that a total of 22 "Israelis" were taken to Jerusalem hospitals, including two in serious condition. Four were moderately wounded and another 16 were lightly hurt.
Police say the attack appears to have been politically motivated, but there was no immediate claim of responsibility. A state of emergency was declared in Jerusalem.

The attack set off a panic in downtown Jerusalem. Dozens of people were seen running through the streets to flee the scene of the attack, where wounded people lay on the ground amid piles of broken glass and blood stains.

"I saw the tractor's shovel turn to the bus and deliberately hit it. It hit other vehicles as well," an "Israel" Radio reporter said.
Emergency vehicles rushed to the scene, where the single-decker commuter bus, its side slashed by the tractor, lay on its side.
At least three other vehicles appeared to sustain damage, including a van whose entire front section was crushed.

The incident marked was the first attack in Jerusalem since a gunman killed eight students in a religious school in March. The attack came nearly two weeks into a ceasefire between "Israel" and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

The attack occurred in an area where Jerusalem is building a new train system. The project has turned many parts of the city into a big construction zone.

Jerusalem has been the target of dozens of deadly attacks over the past decade, most recently in March of this year, when a gunman entered a religious seminary and shot dead eight students before he was killed by police.