A Palestinian assailant killed three people and wounded 45 more as he ploughed a bulldozer into buses and cars in Jerusalem on Wednesday before being shot dead by Israeli police who branded it a terror attack.
National police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld described the rampage in the heart of the Holy City as a "terrorist" act by a 30-year-old man from occupied east Jerusalem who was worked at a construction site near the scene of the attack. Chaos erupted as the heavy vehicle barrelled along the busy Jaffa Road, smashing into two crowded public buses, overturning one of them, and ramming other vehicles, reducing one car to a mangled wreck.
Several people opened fire at the man driving the earthmover and at least two policemen jumped onto the vehicle, emptying several rounds into the driver and leaving him slumped over the wheel, according to AFP reporters. The attack was the first in Jerusalem since a Palestinian gunman shot eight Jewish students at a seminary in March. It was not immediately clear if it would have any impact on the faltering Middle East peace process.
"We have four people dead so far, including the driver of the earthmover, and 45 wounded, three of them seriously," said Yeroham Mendola, a spokesman for the Magen David Adom emergency services. He said a baby was among the wounded.
Police Commissioner Dudi Cohen told reporters the attack appeared to be a "spontaneous incident" carried out by a father of two who had a criminal past but no known links to armed groups. He said police were looking into whether the man had "received instructions" from others. Police identified the attacker as Hussam Tarysir Dwayat and questioned family members and neighbours in the Arab community of Sur Baher where he lived.