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Breaking News

Suicide Bomber Kills 13 in Jerusalem

Aired August 09, 2001 - 09:40   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, we want to bring you the latest on that suicide bombing situation in Jerusalem. Let's go to our bureau chief there, Mike Hanna.

Is Mike with us? okay.

OK, apparently, we're still working -- there he is, Mike, go ahead.

MIKE HANNA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, hello, Daryn. Well, grim news from Jerusalem as it's been through the last few hours, an explosion right in the middle of the city during a lunch hour, the streets crowded with people. What the Israeli government says was a suicide bomber detonated an explosive device in a pizza restaurant right in the middle of the city in Jeffor (ph) Road, an arterial street through the center of the city.

Unofficial government sources say that as many as 19 people have been killed in the bomb blast. More than 70 people have been injured. This, the first attack on Israeli civilian city since a cease-fire purportedly came into effect at the beginning of June. The Israeli government monitoring the offense. However, the Israeli sources are saying that there is a standard destruction in the Israeli cabinet to retaliate for any attack against its civilians. The Israeli government says as well that it holds the Palestinian Authority responsible for this bomb attack. But I'm joined now on the telephone by a member of the Palestinian Authority legislative assembly., Dr. Hanan Ashrawi.

Dr. Ashrawi, first of all, your reaction to this bombing in the middle of Jerusalem.

HANAN ASHRAWI, PALESTINIAN COUNCIL MEMBER: Well, I think that it's another tragic episode and in a spiraling cycle of violence that threatens to spin out of control entirely.

HANNA: Dr. Ashrawi on the line, We will try and get her back so we can find out...

ASHRAWI: Hello. Hello?

KAGAN: Apparently, we're having a problem, I think that Mike Hanna is having trouble hearing the phone call. So we are going to work on that, and bring you the latest on that. Once again, a suicide bomber in Central Jerusalem taking the lives 13 people, including we're hearing the lives of six young babies under the age of six. We're working on getting a Palestinian reaction to that.

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