JERUSALEM:A PALESTINIAN construction worker killed three people when he drove a large bulldozer into oncoming traffic on a busy Jerusalem street yesterday, crushing cars and overturning a bus in what Israeli police said was a terrorist attack.
At least 44 others were injured, including car-drivers, pedestrians and passengers on the bus which was travelling through West Jerusalem at the time of the incident.
Police said the man, a Palestinian aged 30 and a resident of East Jerusalem, seized control of the bulldozer and drove several hundred metres down the street before he was overpowered by policemen and private security guards and shot dead.
Three Palestinian militant groups claimed responsibility for the killings, but there was no confirmation that the attack had been organised in advance.
However, Dudi Cohen, Israel's police chief, said the attacker appeared to be acting alone. "It looks as if it was a spontaneous act," he said. The man was identified as Hussam Dwikat, and neighbours said he had no apparent links to militant groups.
Yossi Levi (34), was driving nearby when Dwikat first took control of the bulldozer. Mr Levi stopped his car and ran to help the injured. "We saw the tractor start to drive towards the first car and then it simply ran it over," he said.
"He didn't stop and went on towards other vehicles. When he hit the first car we knew something was wrong, when he hit the second we figured it was an attack and by the time he hit the third we were sure. People started to run away, drivers got out of their cars and ran." At least one of the dead was a woman driver who was crushed inside her car.
Mr Levi said he and others ran towards the bulldozer, shouting and throwing stones. "We were chasing it and looking for someone with a weapon who could stop it," he said.
He saw a policeman appear to overpower Dwikat and bring the bulldozer to a halt. "The policeman said he had the driver under control, but I told the policeman, 'Shoot him! Shoot him!' Many people were screaming next to me: 'Shoot him'! The policeman had his handgun out, but he didn't shoot."
The bulldozer then began to lurch down the street again before more policemen jumped into the cab and fired several bullets, killing Dwikat.
The incident was the first attack in Jerusalem since March, when a gunman walked into a Jewish seminary and shot eight students dead. Although it is unlikely to derail talks between Israel and the Palestinians, the attack is likely to lead to more restrictions on Palestinians living in Jerusalem and working in the city and across Israel.
- (Guardian service)