Terrorist fires at bus stop near Ariel wounding at least nine, three seriously

Initially, security forces believed two terrorists were involved in the attack, but later it was confirmed that the terrorist who was eliminated was the sole assailant.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

A terrorist who opened fire at an Israeli bus stop on Friday at at Giti Avisar junction near the settlement of Ariel was eliminated by Israeli security forces.

Initially, security forces believed two terrorists were involved in the attack, but later it was confirmed that the terrorist who was eliminated was the sole attacker.

The terrorist was armed with an assault rifle and began shooting suddenly at civilians.

Magen Dovid Adom reported that of the nine wounded, four were hit with gunfire, including three in serious condition and one in moderate condition.
The remaining people were injured through impact with broken glass.

One of the injured is in critical condition as of Friday afternoon.

Late Friday, Israeli media released the identity of the terrorist as 46-year-old Samer Hussain from the village of Einabus in the Nablus area.

He drove from Tapuah Junction to the Gitai Avisar Junction on a route that did not have internal checkpoints.

He stopped his car 150 meters from the bus stop and fired at civilians while approaching the stop.

Although the theory that there were two terrorist shooters was eliminated, the IDF believes the terrorist did not act alone, but that he was provided with a M-16 assault rifle and a vehicle.

Hamas has taken credit for the terrorist attack in a statement that said, “The Al-Qassam Brigades announces its responsibility for the shooting operation.”

Magen David Adom paramedic Itamar Hakhamov described the scene: “We arrived in large numbers and found casualties near the bus, fully conscious and suffering from gunshot wounds.”

“We quickly administered initial medical care and transported them to the hospital in stable condition. Other MDA teams treated individuals with shrapnel injuries from broken glass and also evacuated them with minor injuries,” he continued.

This is a developing story.