Two suicide bombers exploded themselves on the pedestrian mall in the center of Jerusalem just before midnight Saturday night, causing at least ten deaths and over 180 injuries, mostly among young people out for the evening in the area's many cafes. As ambulances were evacuating the wounded, a car bomb exploded in the adjacent Rav Kook Street.

Jerusalem Police Chief Cmdr. Mickey Levy said two suicide bombers blew themselves up almost simultaneously about 130 feet apart. "The terrorists came to Ben Yehuda Street, near Zion Square. They were carrying large explosive devices on them, which included bolts, nuts and nails," he said.

"After the explosion there were injured people lying everywhere on the ground, and also bodies," said Mordechai Elias, who was lightly injured in the blast. "People started running in all directions. What was most shocking was the number of children who were injured."

Nir Ladani was downtown celebrating his 20th birthday with friends when the blasts occurred. "Just as we turned onto the pedestrian mall, there was an explosion. Shrapnel hit me in the legs and face," he said. Ladani's parents, both doctors at Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital, treated their son and the many others brought to the emergency room there.

As police and rescue teams tended the injured at the scene of the two bombings, the third blast rocked the city center. The car bomb was intended to harm the rescue workers and the many onlookers who had crowded the area after the first blasts. Police hurried to search for other possible car bombs in the area and evacuated onlookers from the scene.

A Palestinian was reported to be among the injured. Security forces guarded his hospital bed as police investigated whether he was connected to the bombings.

An anonymous phone call was received at the Beit Shemesh police station from a man with an Arabic accent shortly before the simultaneous explosions. The man reportedly indicated to the police the exact location of the attack. Police sources said that they receive anonymous warnings all the time, most of which turn out to be false. Even so, the police relate seriously to all warnings. Police forces in downtown Jerusalem went on alert, but did not spot anything unusual and were unable to stop the bombers.

Sharon prepares for early return to Israel
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was informed of the attack at his New York hotel. Sharon moved forward his scheduled meeting with President George W. Bush to Sunday and made preparations to return to Israel immediately afterwards.

American envoy Anthony Zinni was quoted by CNN as saying, "I condemn in the strongest terms the vicious and evil attack in Jerusalem…. I spoke to Chairman Arafat and demanded that comprehensive and sustained effort to immediately bring those responsible to justice, including rooting out the terrorist infrastructure responsible for supporting these acts."

The Palestinian Authority released a statement condemning the Jerusalem terror attacks and expressing its "deep anger and pain." The statement accused those behind the attack of trying to derail Zinni's cease-fire mission.

Foreign Affairs Minister Shimon Peres said it was "one of the worst (attacks) we have ever seen.'' Acting in Sharon's absence, Peres convened the security cabinet Sunday morning to discuss the attacks, but no major policy decisions were expected until Sharon's return.

National Infrastructure Minister Avigdor Lieberman (National Union) threatened to pull his party out of the coalition unless the Sharon government declared the Palestinian Authority a terrorist regime and took appropriate actions against it.

Palestinian sources reported that the two suicide bombers were residents of the village of Abu Dis, east of Jerusalem. One of them reportedly was a member of Hamas, and the other was a member of the Palestinian intelligence forces who had resigned his position just two days before the attack.

An IDF force raided Abu Dis this morning, reportedly arresting at least ten residents of the village, many of them apparently family members of the suspected terrorists.

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