Two terrorist attacks in Jerusalem. An Israeli killed, a soldier injured. Security forces beefed up in capital
In the space of a few hours, two Palestinian terrorist attacks occurred in Jerusalem, both in areas close to Arab districts. In the second, Monday afternoon, Aug. 4, a motorcyclist shot an Israeli soldier outside the tunnel leading to Mt. Scopus and Wadi Joz, injuring him seriously. As the assalant raced off, a passerby shot at him and missed.
The soldier was evacuated with stomach wounds to the nearby Hadassah Hospital which shares Mt. Scopus with the Hebrew University campus. A large-scale hunt has been launched for the assailant.
Three hours earlier, a 19-year old Palestinian rammed a heavy excavator into a number 2 bus, tipping it over on its side on the main road linking west and east Jerusalem. Fortunately, the bus was empty. However an Israeli man on the sidewalk was crushed to death. He has been identified as Rabbi Avraham Walz, 29, a member of the Toldot Aharon Hassidic community.
Six others were injured, including the bus driver. A passing police officer who witnessed the attack and two civilians shot the excavator driver dead, cutting short a rampage on the busy thoroughfare of Shmuel Hanavi. He was a resident of the Palestinian district of Djebel Maqaber.
Two Palestinian tractor attacks have been staged on Jerusalem streets in recent years causing fatalities. The police force in Jerusalem has been heavily beefed up and spread out at in the most sensitive parts of the capital.