Two people were killed and 50 were injured, many of them seriously, when two terrorists opened fire at the Afula central bus station Tuesday morning. The terrorists opened fire indiscriminately before being shot and killed by police as they attempted to escape to the city's market. The attack came hours after the IDF completed its withdrawal from Jenin, less than 12 miles south of Afula.

The two terrorists reportedly arrived at the Afula station in a stolen car shortly after 11:30 a.m. They got out of the vehicle and opened fire with Kalashnikov assault rifles on bystanders while running towards the market.

Four police officers, a Border Police officer and reserve IDF soldiers engaged the two terrorists in a gun battle and killed them, a spokesman for the police said. Police investigated but then ruled out the possibility of a third terrorist being involved in the shooting.

"The terrorist wore black pants and a gray shirt," said Menashe Mekonen, one of the soldiers who chased after and shot the gunmen. "I continued to run after him towards the parking lot near the market. Then I saw him dash between two cars. I fired my gun, hitting him in the head. He fell and I kept shooting," Mekonen said.

Dr. Eran Halperin at Afula's Ha'emek Hospital reported at least 50 casualties, many of whom were suffering from shock. Police northern district commander Brig.-Gen. Avi Tiller initially reported that one Israeli man was killed in the attack. A woman, fatally wounded in the shooting, died afterwards in the hospital.

"If the police on the scene hadn't reacted with such determination, we would have witnessed a much more serious attack," said another senior police officer.

The Hizbullah's al-Manar television station stated that the Islamic Jihad organization staged the attack in cooperation with the Fatah al-Aksa Brigades. In an unofficial and unconfirmed statement the organization declared it had acted to avenge the assassination of Hamas master terrorist Mahmoud Abu Hanoud. The gunmen were identified as Mustafa Faisal Abu Saria, 21, and Abed al Karim Abu Nasa, 20, from Jenin.

Politician charges connection to IDF withdrawal
MK Zeev Boim (Likud) charged that the IDF's withdrawal from Jenin overnight gave a green light to terror organizations to renew their activities. Boim said the terror attack made the possibility that the American envoys would achieve a cease-fire doubtful. He called on Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer to immediately reinforce the closure on the territories to prevent additional attacks.

Police Commissioner Shlomo Aharonishky discounted a connection between the attack and the IDF withdrawal from Jenin. "There was no specific warning of this attack, just general warnings," he said.

Sources in the Prime Minister's Office said the Afula attack would be presented to American envoys Anthony Zinni and William Burns as further proof that the Palestinian Authority is taking no actions to prevent terrorism.

"If Palestinian terrorists intended to give the U.S. mission a concrete example of what Israel has been facing for the last weeks and months, this is it,'' said Zalman Shoval, an advisor to Sharon.

Meanwhile, Border Police arrested two suspected terrorists near Umm el-Fahm, after they reportedly planted or discarded a large explosive device connected to a cellular phone. Sappers successfully detonated the device, with no injuries or damage. Police and security forces in the region went on high alert and set up roadblocks on the Wadi Ara road.

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