Three women and one man, all in their twenties, were killed after the truck swerved into the group of people, in what police described as a ‘terrorist attack.’ In addition, 15 people were injured, one critically, emergency services reported.
Police Chief Roni Alsheich identified the attacker as a resident of East Jerusalem and said he had been shot and killed by soldiers at the scene.
Citing a gag order, he would not give further details about the attack or the driver's identity.
He added that there were no concrete warning signs ahead of the attack that would have allowed its prevention.
Emergency services were still working to free several people who remained trapped under the truck, according to local media. An emergency services worker told Israeli television that it was ‘the worst attack with a vehicle that we've recently seen in Jerusalem.’ Lea Schrieber, a tour guide who witnessed the attack, told The Israel Project organization she heard shouts and saw the truck go into reverse and hit the group of soldiers a second time.
According to the Times of Israel, the soldiers were in Jerusalem as part of a military initiative to bring troops on tours to see sites of historical and national importance.
The Hamas movement praised the attack on social media and said that the driver was a released prisoner.
The US ambassador to Israel and the UN special coordinator for the Middle East peace process strongly condemned the attack on Twitter.
The attack comes less than a month after a man drove a large articulated truck into a Christmas market in central Berlin, killing 12 and injuring more than 50.
