- Bloodiest attack in years.
Two young Palestinians who are reportedly cousins, being armed with meat cleavers and a gun, stormed a Jerusalem synagogue during morning prayers, killing four people in the city’s bloodiest attack in years. Police have reportedly killed the suspects in a shootout. Police said the dead worshippers were three Americans and a Briton, and that all held dual Israeli citizenship. The attack was the deadliest in Jerusalem since a Palestinian assailant killed eight students at a Jewish seminar in March 2008.
A police source identified the assailants as Ghassan and Oday Abu Jamal. The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a small militant group, confirmed the cousins were among its members, but did not mention whether they had given instructions for the latest attacks. Israeli police have confirmed six people were wounded in the attack, including two police officers. Four were reported in serious condition.
Hamas, the militant Palestinian group lauded the attack. In Gaza, dozens took to the streets to celebrate, with some offering trays full of candy. In the southern town of Rafah, women and schoolchildren waved green Hamas flags and a loudspeaker praised the attack. Footage released by the Israeli government showed blood-soaked prayer books and prayer shawls on the floor of the synagogue.
Israel has been on the receiving end of a spate of attacks by Palestinians, killing at least six people in Jerusalem.
Extracted and modified from Yahoo News.
