Jerusalem Truck Attack Kills 4 Soldiers; Suspect may have Supported ISIS
Frances Diana Roullo | | Jan 09, 2017 03:13 AM EST |
(Photo : Getty Images) Israeli security forces and emergency personnel attend the site of a vehicle-ramming attack on Jan. 8, 2017 in Jerusalem, Israel. Four Israeli soldiers were killed and 13 wounded after an industrial truck driven by a Palestinian man, rammed into a group of people.
A Palestinian man plowed a truck into a group of soldiers in Jerusalem on Sunday, killing four and injuring over a dozen.
Israeli police identified the attacker as 28-year-old Fadi al-Qanbar, a married man in his 20s who had reportedly served time in an Israeli prison and was released. The suspect appears to have been an ISIS sympathizer, according to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
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"We know the identity of the attacker, according to all the signs, he is a supporter of Islamic State," Netanyahu said, comparing the attack to the incidents in Berlin, Germany and Nice, France but gave no evidence to support his claim. While ISIS has not claimed involvement to the killing, the militant fundamentalist Islamic organization called Hamas praised the attack.
The troops of Israeli soldiers were on a cultural sightseeing trip, visiting first the Armon HaNetziv promenade that overlooks the modern Jerusalem and the Old City. CCTV footage showed that the group of victims was standing beside the bus on the side of the road when the white Mercedes lorry drove through them without warning.
"A group had gotten off the bus and were getting organized with their bags when the terrorist took the opportunity," police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld told reporters at the scene. The driver was unable to turn the truck around and decided to reverse into the victims' bodies, trapping some of the injured under the vehicle.
"I felt that my pistol was still on me, so I ran up to him and started emptying my clip," Eitan Rod, an armed tour guide, said as he described the incident. Some of the surviving soldiers also opened fire and helped shoot the assailant dead.
Three of the four people killed were women and all were in their 20s. Victims were identified as Second Lt. Yael Yekutiel, Lt. Erez Orbach, Lt. Shira Tzur, and Lt. Shir Hajaj. The four of them were promoted posthumously.
National military service is mandatory for all Israeli citizens over the age of 18 who are Jewish, Druze, or Circassian. Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat called on residents to show vigilance, urging to "not let terrorism win."
TagsJerusalem, Israel, soldiers, Terrorist attack
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