Slaughter at Israeli university

12 April 2012

A suicide bomber blew himself up in a crowded cafeteria at Jerusalem's Hebrew University today, killing at least six people and wounding more than 70.

The bomber detonated explosives strapped to his body in the packed "Frank Sinatra," cafÈ at the campus adjacent to the disputed West Bank area.

British students were among those caught up in the blast, although it is not known if any were killed or wounded.

One Briton, Alastair Goldrein, 19, from Liverpool, said the cafeteria was a place where Jewish, Arab and foreign students mixed freely. He said: "I was on my way to lunch. There was a huge, huge explosion. Everything shook and then there was this deathly silence.

"I ran in, there were people lying around wailing, covered in blood. Scenes that are indescribable, clothes and flesh torn apart."

The blast was at the university's Mt Scopus campus, a Jewish enclave surrounded by Palestinian neighbourhoods in the eastern part of the city. The university has extremely heavy security.

Immediately following the blast Palestinian militant group Hamas claimed responsibility for the blast - the second bomb attack on the Israeli capital in 24 hours.

The injured were taken to hospitals in the city, but the evacuation efforts were hampered by the remote location of the campus. Though classes were not in session, students were taking exams at the time of the blast, and the cafeteria, situated in the university's Frank Sinatra building, was crowded with diners. There were also several students in the building registering for classes for the coming school year, witnesses said.

One witness said: "There was a terrorist and he blew up. There is a lot of chaos, a lot of police. It's a mess, there's a lot of wounded."

Sirens wailing, rescue vehicles rushed to the scene, swiftly removing bloodied victims. Sniffer dogs checked to see if any additional bombs were in the area.

One university employee, identified only as Ilana told how she was leaving the cafeteria when: "I heard a very loud explosion. All the glass broke onto the floor and there was darkness and silence.

"Slowly people began to leave and other people were lying on the floor."

David Baker, an official in Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's office, said: "Israel is fighting a pitched battle against terror and for the right to walk down the street, take a bus or sit in a cafeteria without the fear of being decimated by Palestinian terrorism."

Today's blast came a day after a Palestinian suicide bomber blew himself up at a fast-food stand in Jerusalem, killing himself and wounding five Israelis. That explosion was also near the dividing line between east and west Jerusalem.

The blast comes after militant groups warned that they would carry out revenge attacks following the killing last week of 15 people in Gaza City, including the military leader of Hamas, Sheikh Salah Shehada and 10 children.

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