A Palestinian construction worker in a bulldozer went on deadly rampage in central Jerusalem today, killing at least three and injuring 45 in the latest violence to disrupt Israel’s fledgling diplomatic initiatives.Hossam Dawiath, a 31-year-old Arab resident of East Jerusalem with a criminal record, caused havoc on one of Jerusalem’s main thoroughfares, driving into oncoming traffic and leaving a twisted metal swath of vehicles in his wake.Numerous witnesses captured footage of Dawaith using one of the bulldozers at his construction site to plough through cars queuing on Jaffo Street, eventually overturning one bus and striking another before he was shot dead by security officers.Palestinian militant groups claimed responsibility for the attack, although Israeli police said initial evidence suggested that Dawiath was a “terrorist acting on his own”.The three organisations that took responsibility for the attack included the Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade, which is loosely affiliated with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah movement. The other two groups claiming responsibility were the Galilee Freedom Battalion, which is suspected of being affiliated with Lebanon's Hezbollah guerrillas, and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a fringe left-wing militant group.Dawaith’s family, including his wife and two children, were questioned by police from their home in Zur Bahar.Tayseer Dawaith, the father of the attacker, told media before he was led away by police: "My son never spoke of plans to carry out such an attack, if he had I would have tried to prevent it."Mr Olmert has begun efforts to raze Dawaith’s home, and stop social security benefits to his family. The Knesset, the Israeli parliament, also passed a first reading of a bill yesterday that would revoke citizenship from anyone convicted of terror activity.Dawaith used the Caterpillar bulldozer’s massive serrated scoop to overturn the bus, and repeatedly ram its side. A number of armed men, including police officers, off-duty soldiers, and armed civilians fired on Dawaith, momentarily stopping him.Three men then boarded the bulldozer, as Dawaith slumped appearing incapacitated across the steering wheel. Dawaith then came to, lurching the tractor forward before Moshe Plesner, a young off-duty soldier who had climbed to the side of the vehicle shot Dawaith at close range. Eli Mizrahi, an officer in a special anti-terror unit, then fired several more shots at Dawatih.“I ran up the stairs [of the vehicle] and, when he was still driving like crazy and trying to harm civilians, I fired at him twice more and, that's it, he was liquidated,” said Mr Mizrahi.
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As in the days of Noah....