Police have determined that the explosion that ripped through a Jerusalem bus – injuring 21 people, two seriously – was a bomb. Hamas praised the attack.
A bomb squad determined that “an explosive device was detonated in the back of the bus, causing the passengers’ injuries and subsequent fire,” said a Jerusalem Police spokesperson.
Several passengers were injured in the explosion, which occurred near the Talpiyot industrial zone, but all managed to get off the bus before it caught fire. Police investigators are exploring the possibility that one of the two seriously injured men is the terrorist behind the bombing.
After the bus went up in flames, the fire spread to a second bus, injuring more people.
“I request that the public be alert, make sure you open your eyes,” said Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat. “But continue with your plans. Here in Jerusalem and Israel we go back to normal life as soon as possible.”
“We will locate the men who created this bomb, we will reach the men who sent the bomber as well as the ones behind them. We will settle the account with these terrorists,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated.
Hamas praised the attack, calling it “the natural response to Israeli crimes, particularly the field executions it conducts, and the assaults on the Al-Aqsa Mosque.”
By: United with Israel
(With files from Tazpit Press Agency. Video courtesy United Hatzalah)