The Palestinian Islamic Jihad group claimed on Wednesday responsibility for a suicide bombing in west Jerusalem that killed the bomber and lightly injured six.
In a statement faxed to Albawaba.com, the military wing of the movement, Jerusalem Brigades, named the attacker as Daoud Ali Abu Swai, from Artas village near Bethlehem. The group said the attack came as a “first and swift response to the crimes of the enemy and its bombardment of Gaza, Jenin, Ramallah and the rest of the Palestinian cities.”“We tell the criminal enemy that the painful response is coming in the way,” it concluded.The attacks happened shortly after 7:30 Wednesday morning, a on King David Street in Jerusalem. Israel Radio reported that six people were very lightly injured from flying glass. AFP said that the bomber blew himself to pieces in front of the Hilton hotel, slightly injuring three people, one day after Israel launched massive raids in response to previous attacks on its cities. According to the Tel Aviv-based Haaretz, police are currently investigating whether the bomb went off prematurely. They are also investigating whether the bomber intended the David Citadel as his chief target or some other downtown Jerusalem spot. The Islamic Jihad confirmed the theory, saying in the statement that Abu Swai had to blow himself up before entering the hotel, “where Israeli leaders were.”Jerusalem Mayor Ehud Olmert said on Israel radio shortly after the bombing that two government ministers - Public Security Minister Uzi Landau and Religious Affairs Minister Asher Ohana - were staying at the David Citadel Hotel this morning. A fleet of ambulances was rushed to the scene and police sealed of the road, causing major disruption the city's rush-hour traffic. Israeli army radio said US peace envoy Anthony Zinni, staying in a neighboring hotel, must have heard the explosion, according to AFP. On Saturday, Jerusalem was hit by a double suicide bomb attack which left 12 people dead, including the bombers, and some 180 injured. Less than 12 hours later, another suicide bomber killed 14 Israelis and a woman from the Philippines as well as himself on a bus in Haifa, northern Israel – Albawaba.com
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