U.S. condemns Jerusalem terror attack

Marcy Oster

JERUSALEM (JTA) — The United States condemned a terror attack in Jerusalem that claimed the life of a 3-month-old baby girl, calling it “despicable.”

“The United States condemns in the strongest possible terms today’s terrorist attack in Jerusalem. We express our deepest condolences to the family of the baby, reportedly an American citizen, who was killed in this despicable attack, and extend our prayers for a full recovery to those injured. We urge all sides to maintain calm and avoid escalating tensions in the wake of this incident.” U.S. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said in a statement released Wednesday,  hours after the attack.

Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman said in a statement that Wednesday’s attack in Jerusalem and an attack on the Canadian Parliament in Ottawa are both a result of the rise of radical Islam.

“The terror attacks which took place yesterday almost simultaneously at two sides of the world, Jerusalem and Ottawa, demonstrate again that terrorism is a worldwide epidemic that must be fought strenuously and without compromise,” Liberman said.

“Terror is not the result of building in Jerusalem, Ottawa, New York, Madrid, London or Mombasa, but of the war of radical Islam against the Western world. We stand alongside our friends in Canada, who have demonstrated by their firm stand alongside Israel and again recently in joining the war against ISIS, that they will not give in to terror. Israel, too, will remain firm in the fight against terror and terrorists.”

The driver of the car, Abdelrahman al-Shaludi, who is believed to have deliberately driven his car into the Jerusalem light rail stop near Ammunition Hill on Wednesday afternoon, killing the infant and injuring eight others, died early Thursday morning at Jerusalem’s Shaarey Tzedek hospital from gunshot wounds inflicted by Israel Police officers as he fled the scene of the attack.

Family members told the Palestinian Maan news agency that al-Shaludi, 21, of the eastern Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan, had been recently released from an Israeli prison where he served 14 months. He was the nephew of Mohiyedine Sharif, the former head of Hamas’ armed wing who was killed in 1988.

Al-Shaludi posted messages and video clips in support of Hamas on his Facebook page, the Times of Israel reported.

Hundreds of people attended the late Wednesday night funeral in Jerusalem of infant Chaya Zissel Braun, who is reported to be an American citizen.