Israel: Jerusalem Bus Explosion Deliberate Attack
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – While Israeli Prime Minister called the explosion inside a city bus in Jerusalem a terrorist attack, police were more cautious, saying that it was a deliberate attack.
At least 21 people were hurt Monday when an explosive device went off inside a city bus in Jerusalem (al-Quds), Israeli police and officials said, causing a large fire that spread to an adjacent bus and damaged at least one car.
Police said they were looking at all possibilities, including that it was a criminal act.
All of those hurt were on the bus that contained the explosive device, which was on the back of the bus, Jerusalem District Police Commander Yoram HaLevi told CNN affiliate Ch.2 Israel.
At least two of the victims were seriously wounded.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility.
The explosion happened in south Jerusalem just before 6 pm, during evening rush hour. It filled the bus with orange flames and spewed thick black smoke into the air.
It took several hours for firefighters to put out the flames. Israeli police forensics teams were later seen working on board the charred frame of the bus.
US Secretary of State John Kerry condemned the attack and called for an end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, saying Monday that it "underscores the importance of ending this conflict, so that Israelis and Palestinians can once and for all live side by side in peace and security."
