A bearded young man wearing on Israel army uniform opened fire into a crowd of Moslem worshippers and tourists on the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem this moming, killing two persons and wounding at least four before he was overpowered by soldiers and police. The police identified him later as Elliot Guttman (Goodman), 30, an American who immigrated to Israel six years ago.
The dead were identified as Hassan Yamani, 65, a Moslem guard and Jihad Al-Hamdi, an 18 year-old woman passer-by. Rioting and stone-throwing by enraged Arabs following the shooting injured 10 persons seriously, according to Israel Radio and 30 others sustained slight injuries. Israel Radio reported this evening that an additional 27 persons were hurtirrioting that broke out in other parts of the city and on the West Bank during the day, most of them not seriously.
Eye-witnesses said the man began firing in the open plaza of the Temple Mount, site of two major Islamic shrines, the Mosque of Omor and the El Aksa Mosque. His weapon was reported to be an American M-16 automatic rifle of Israel army issue. As police closed in he retreated into the Mosque of Omar and continued to fire. The Army Radio said the assailant wore a knapsack with the name “Magen Schwartz” stenciled on it. A label on the knapsack indicated that the wearer came from New York.
U.S. CONDEMNS ‘OUTRAGE’
(In Washington today, the State Department condemned the Temple Mount attack and extended from condolences “to all those who have suffered physically and spiritually from this outrage.” A Department spokesman said in a prepared statement: “We deeply deplore and condemn this senseless violence… According to information available to us, this was obviously the work of a deranged individual who has now been taken into custody.” The State Department also called on all governments and people in the Middle East to refrain from any acts of violence which could cause further loss of life and increase tensions in the area.)
This evening, the Moslem Supreme Council called for a seven day general strike to protest the attack for which it blamed the Israel government.
“REVENGE” WAS MOTIVE
The capured man reportedly spoke English and non-fluent Hebrew. According to Israel Radio, which apparently had its information from police, the man identified as Guttman is married and spent last night at a Jerusalem hotel. This morning he reportedly told the manager he did not expect to be back “for a long time.”
A senior police officer said in a radio interview tonight that after he was arrested, the assailant said “They”, apparently meaning Arabs, had killed “a lot of my relatives and friends and I had to take revenge.”
In the immediote oftermath of the shooting, Arab youths hurled rocks and iron bars at Israeli police and army personnel. The latter fired into the air to disperse the rioters. Police Superintendent Arye Ivtzan said the authorities were trying to “contain” the incident, keep it in “proper proportions” and restore order in the Old City. Gen. Ori Orr, Commander of the central region personally directed the operations.
RIOTS SPREAD TO WEST BANK
The rioting this afternoon spread from Jerusalem to towns on the West Bank. In Ramallah an Israeli soldier shot and wounded a 17-year-old Arab after a band of youths stoned his vehicle. Tires were burned and road blocks were set up in Beit Jalla, near Bethlehem. The most serious incidents in East Jerusalem occurred near the fashionable Inter-Continental Hotel on the Mount of Olives. Large crowds of Arabs threw rocks at Israoeli border policemen who fired into the air.
Rocks were also thrown at ambulances carrying injured persons to nearby Hadassah Hospital. Rocks were thrown at two tourist buses on the Mount of Olives and in Silwan village near the Old City.
According to a senior police source, Guttman was to be arraigned before a Jerusalem magistrate later today. The source said the assailant had operated alone. He refused to divulge further details. Israel Radio described Guttman as an Israel Army reservist of American origin. Police stressed that there was no damage done to the Islamic shrines. Tourists and other worshippers were promptly cleared away from the Temple Mount and the nearby Western Wall after the shooting.
Today’s incident recalled the turmoil aroused in the Arab world in 1969 when an Australian former mental patient, Michael Denis Rohan, set fire to the Al Aksa Mosque cousing extensive damage. Rohan was imprisoned in Israel for a time and deported to Australia. (See related story P. 3.)
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
