BICOM

An Israeli soldier was lightly wounded by a pipe bomb yesterday as soldiers began the process of marking the home of the terrorist who killed two Israelis in Jerusalem.

The soldiers arrived at the family home in the east Jerusalem neighbourhood of a-Ram and measured the structure, which is the first step in preparing it for demolition. An improvised pipe bomb explosive was hurled at the troops and one was taken to hospital overnight suffering from shrapnel wounds. Israel often demolishes the homes of terrorists who have carried out attacks on Israelis, to serve as a deterrent.

Media reports say that crowds gathered outside the family home in the wake of Sunday’s attack to celebrate the shootings, with sweets handed out in the atatcker’s honour. Israeli forces have arrested around 30 people for publicly celebrating the attack and expressing solidarity with the terrorist.

The terrorist opened fire in Jerusalem on Sunday near the busy Ammunition Hill light railway stop. He then fled the scene and a shoot-out ensued with Israeli police. A grandmother and a 29-year-old police officer were killed by the assailant, who was shot dead by police.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah party announced a day of mourning in his memory. Meanwhile, a spokesman for Hamas, which claimed affiliation to the terrorist, said yesterday that its members should get ready “for a new phase of confrontation”.

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday visited a police officer injured in Sunday’s attack. Netanyahu praised him for having “prevented a larger catastrophe” and added “there is nothing more emotional and uplifting than meeting with our police officers, our heroes”.

Jerusalem police chief Yoram Halevy said that the terrorist, who was unusually armed with an M-16 rifle, had “lots and lots of ammunition,” and was heading for the centre of Jerusalem, where “he would have killed lots of people”.