Two suicide bombers set off blasts, dozens of casualties
The Associated Press
JERUSALEM (AP) Two suicide bombers blew themselves up in a crowded pedestrian mall in downtown Jerusalem late Saturday, causing dozens of casualties, the city's police chief said.
Paramedics said at least one person was killed.
Shortly after the back-to-back blasts, an explosion went off in a car parked near the Ben Yehuda pedestrian mall, said Police Chief Mickey Levy. It was not immediately clear whether anyone was injured in that explosion.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the explosions.
However, the militant Hamas and Islamic Jihad groups have threatened to avenge Israel's targeted killing earlier this month of Mahmoud Abu Hanoud, the leader of the Hamas military wing in the West Bank. Abu Hanoud was killed in an Israeli missile attack.
The suicide bombings came only two days after an Islamic Jihad militant blew himself up on an Israeli bus, killing three passengers and himself.
The attacks come at a time when a senior U.S. envoy, retired Marine Corps Gen. Anthony Zinni, is trying to secure a cease-fire. However, since Zinni's arrival last week, there has been an upsurge in violence, especially by Palestinian militants trying to derail his mission. Zinni has said he would not be deterred by violence, and would stay in the region as long as it takes.
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