Two people were killed, including a six year-old child, and five others injured when a driver rammed his car into a bus stop in northern Jerusalem.
(Bloomberg) —
Two people were killed, including a six year-old child, and five others injured when a driver rammed his car into a bus stop in northern Jerusalem.
One of the injured is in critical condition, the emergency services said. The driver of the car was a 31 year-old Arab resident of East Jerusalem, according to police.
“I was in the car with my wife and children and noticed a car driving fast into the bus stop and crushing the people who were waiting there,” said Lishai Shemesh, a paramedic. “I stopped at the side and immediately ran toward the victims.”
Police, including an off-duty detective, arrived at the scene and fired at the assailant, who was “neutralized.” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the reinforcement of security units in the area and said he would take immediate action to seal and demolish the home of the attacker.
Seven Israelis Killed in Gun Attack at Jerusalem Synagogue
The car-ramming, which occurred just hours before the beginning of the Jewish Sabbath, is the latest in a series of attacks in Jerusalem, and part of a spate of the deadliest violence in the area in years.
Two weeks ago, a Palestinian gunman shot to death seven civilians in an attack near a synagogue in Jewish neighborhood, days after nine Palestinians were killed in a firefight with Israeli troops who had come make arrests in the West Bank town of Jenin.
Blinken Departs Mideast Leaving Aides Behind to Help Seek Calm
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who visited the region at the end of January, said American officials would be staying in the Middle East after his departure in an effort to help reduce tensions.
(Updates with second death, details of the attack starting in first paragraph.)
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