The latest attack to be endured by the Israel populace occurred in the heart of Tel Aviv shortly before 12:30 PM today, right outside of the \"Kirya,\" the nerve center of the IDF and the offices of Israel\'s Defense Ministry. An Arab stopped his car at the defense compound, got out and shot automatic gunfire into a crowd of unexpecting passers-by, wounding eight soldiers, one Israeli civilian, and a Romanian foreign worker. As he fled the scene in his car, traffic officer Ilan Zamir, who witnessed the shooting, fired a warning shot in the air as the get-away car sped towards him. He then fired two rounds from his pistol at the terrorist\'s head. At the same time, a soldier fired at the car. The Arab gunman was seriously wounded in the head, and the car crashed into an electric pole. The wounded were transported to Ichilov Hospital with light-to-moderate injuries.
According to Zamir, the terrorist was firing an M-16 in all directions in an attempt to hit as many soldiers as possible. Zamir stated with certainty that the terrorist was firing short, automatic bursts of gunfire, not single shots. Police later found a knife which they theorize the terrorist planned to use as well. A young female soldier at the scene said that she \"couldn\'t believe that the Arab was nonchalantly smoking a cigarette\" as he was spraying bullets towards the sidewalks. The M-16 assault rifle was determined to be of IDF issue.
Police say that the perpetrator of the shooting is atypical as far as the ‘terrorist profile’ is concerned; he is a 30-year-old Arab Israeli citizen from Jerusalem, married with three children and steadily employed. The General Security Service (Shin Bet) reports that the terrorist has no record of security violations. Officials were quick to say that this may signify a new stage in the ongoing PLO warfare, now involving eastern Jerusalem residents who are Israeli citizens.
According to Zamir, the terrorist was firing an M-16 in all directions in an attempt to hit as many soldiers as possible. Zamir stated with certainty that the terrorist was firing short, automatic bursts of gunfire, not single shots. Police later found a knife which they theorize the terrorist planned to use as well. A young female soldier at the scene said that she \"couldn\'t believe that the Arab was nonchalantly smoking a cigarette\" as he was spraying bullets towards the sidewalks. The M-16 assault rifle was determined to be of IDF issue.
Police say that the perpetrator of the shooting is atypical as far as the ‘terrorist profile’ is concerned; he is a 30-year-old Arab Israeli citizen from Jerusalem, married with three children and steadily employed. The General Security Service (Shin Bet) reports that the terrorist has no record of security violations. Officials were quick to say that this may signify a new stage in the ongoing PLO warfare, now involving eastern Jerusalem residents who are Israeli citizens.