US Embassy Confirms Americans Were Among Yerushalayim Attack Victims

0
>>Follow Matzav On Whatsapp!<<

UPDATE: At least eight people were wounded, two of them critically, after a shooter opened fire on a bus in Yerushalayim’s Old City early Sunday, Israeli police and medics said.

Israel’s emergency medical services, the Magen David Adom (MDA), called the incident a “terrorist attack in the Old City.”

According to reports, two of the victims were in serious condition, three in moderate and three in mild. All of them were taken to nearby hospitals.

“We were on scene very quickly,” paramedic David Trachtenberg said in a statement.

“On Ma’ale Hashalom Street we saw a passenger bus standing in the middle of the road, bystanders called us to treat two males around 30 years old who were on the bus with gunshot wounds.”

MDA paramedics said they provided lifesaving treatment to people with gunshot wounds, including both on the bus and in the King David’s Tomb parking area.

One of the victims is a pregnant woman in her 30s who was shot in the stomach. She underwent surgery at Shaare Zedek Medical Center. The baby was delivered in an emergency C-section and is reported to be in serious but stable condition.

The shooter fled the scene but was arrested after he turned himself in to the police hours after the pre-dawn attack. The police is currently verifying if the 26-year-old Palestinian, Amir Sidawi, from east Jerusalem is indeed the assailant.

“The police were informed of a shooting of a bus… Police have cordoned off the scene and are searching for a suspect,” police said.

Bus driver Daniel Kanievsky described a chaotic scene suddenly erupting.

“I was coming from the Kosel. The bus was full of passengers,” he told reporters in front of his bullet-riddled vehicle.

“I stopped at the station of the Tomb of David. At this moment, the shooting started. Two people outside I see falling, two inside were bleeding. Everybody panicked.”

Israel’s Prime Minister Yair Lapid was informed about the attack and wished the victims speedy recovery.

“Jerusalem is our capital city and a tourist center for all religions, the police and the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) are working to restore calm and a sense of security in the city,” he said.

“All those who seek to harm us should know that they will pay a price,” the prime minister added.

The US Embassy in Yerushalayim condemned the attack and confirmed that American citizens were among the victims.

“We are shocked and saddened by the terrorist attack on August 14 outside the Old City of Jerusalem. We strongly condemn all acts of terrorism and actions that exacerbate tensions,” an embassy spokesperson’s statement said.

”The Department of State and our embassies and consulates abroad take seriously our responsibility to protect US citizens abroad,” the statement added. -i24 News


LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here