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An Israeli Arab man from East Jerusalem drove his BMW into a group of soldiers in central Jerusalem at approximately 11 p.m. local time Sept. 22. The attack injured 15 people; the only person killed was the driver, Qassem Mughrabi, who was shot by an off-duty Israel Defense Forces officer.
Mughrabi’s is the third case in as many months of an Arab from East Jerusalem using a vehicle to target Israelis. The previous two cases involved construction equipment. Only one of the attacks —a July 2 incident involving an earthmover — led to Israeli deaths.
- July 2: Husam Tayseer Dwayat, an Arab Israeli from the Sur Baher neighborhood of East Jerusalem drives an earthmover along Jaffa Road in West Jerusalem, tipping over a public bus and smashing cars. Four people are killed and another 45 injured. An off-duty IDF soldier shoots and kills Dwayat.
- July 22: Ghassan Abu Tir, from the Umm Tuba neighborhood of East Jerusalem, drives an earthmover into traffic on King David Street, crashes into a bus and rams several cars. Sixteen people are injured but only Tir dies, killed by an off-duty border guard.
- Sept. 22: Qassem Mughrabi from the Jebl Mukaber neighborhood of East Jerusalem drives his BMW into a group of soldiers in central Jerusalem, near the Jaffa gate to the entrance of the Old City. Fifteen people are injured, but only Mughrabi is killed, shot by an off-duty IDF soldier.
No single group has claimed responsibility for all three incidents — but based on the fact that all three men came from the same area, were in similar circumstances and used similar tactics, it is worth considering the idea that Palestinian militants have found a new tactic.
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