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Jerusalem bulldozer attacker 'acted alone'

03/07/2008

A Palestinian man who killed three people after driving a bulldozer down a road in west Jerusalem yesterday acted alone, Israeli police have said.

Hussam Dwayat had been working at a nearby building site when he drove the bulldozer on to the street before smashing into cars and buses.

He was shot dead after police climbed into the vehicle with him. Three other people were killed in the incident and more than 45 were left injured.

Straight after the incident three Palestinian militant groups claimed responsibility for the attack.

However, Israeli officials have said that Mr Dwayat had no known ties to militant groups.

On Wednesday, the office of the Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert had originally described the incident as a terrorist attack and described it as "an act of senseless murderous violence".

Police spokesman Micky Rosenfield, however, told CNN yesterday: "We believe he acted on his own and tried to kill as many people as possible.

"If he would have continued... he would have made his way into an open market, hundreds of people doing shopping there... and this could have been [an] even worse terrorist attack than we have experienced today."

Following the attack Gaza residents began pelting Egyptian border police with stones at Rafah.