A tractor driven by a Palestinian man rammed into a bus in central Jerusalem early Monday afternoon, close to the “seam” between the western and eastern parts of the city.
A male pedestrian approximately 30 years old was run over by the tractor as it headed toward the bus and was killed. The bus was overturned onto its side in the attack, and the bus driver as well as five others were lightly hurt.
Police said the attack, which took place at the end of Shmuel Hanavi Street, near the Olive Tree Hotel, was nationalistically motivated.
A police officer who realized what was happening ran up to the tractor and fired a volley of shots at the terrorist as he sat in the cab and killed him.
The terrorist is being identified by Palestinians on social media as Muhammed Naif El-Ja’abis from the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Jabel Mukaber.
An amateur cellphone video of the incident showed that after knocking the bus over on its side the tractor driver tried to continue attacking the vehicle by swinging the mechanical digging arm into it.
The attacker worked at a building site nearby, Jerusalem police chief Yossi Pariente said.