Gunshots in central Jerusalem; gunman killed, at least 14 wounded.
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Posted 10:31AM on Tuesday, January 22, 2002
JERUSALEM - A gunman opened fire on a busy downtown street Tuesday afternoon, wounding at least 14 people before he was killed by police, officials said. <br>
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Police said they suspected the gunman was a Palestinian, but no details were immediately available. <br>
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The shooting came hours after Israeli commandos killed four members of the militant Islamic group Hamas in a raid on their hideout and explosives lab in Nablus in the West Bank. The Islamic militant group said it would respond with an "all-out war" against Israeli soldiers and settlers. <br>
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The Jerusalem gunman began firing at pedestrians, sending crowds diving for cover on a rainy afternoon. Some Israeli civilians carrying guns drew their weapons, but did not fire. <br>
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Witness Akiva Harari, 21, said the attacker, wearing a heavy coat and carrying an assault rifle, emerged from a parking lot onto Jaffa Street, downtown Jerusalem's main artery. <br>
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"I saw him shoot two women and they fell," he said. Police then chased the gunman back into the parking lot. <br>
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Sporadic gunfire continued for about 10 minutes, according to an Associated Press reporter who was in the area when the shooting started. <br>
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Large numbers of police and ambulances quickly arrived on the scene. <br>
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Among the wounded, one was seriously hurt, said Alex Farkash, a spokesman at Bikur Holim Hospital. <br>