Breaking news in the Israeli mainstream news and blogosphere reports that a man driving a bulldozer ploughed down the streets of Jerusalem in a mad rampage, mimicking the tractor attack of 20 days past.

An estimated 24 people were wounded and three killed when armed civilian Yaakov Asael and border guard Amal Ganem shot the driver dead, ending the assault. The murderer is reportedly a Palestinian from East Jerusalem in possession of an Israeli identity card.

While a gag order has been placed on the mainstream news media in releasing an identity, the blogosphere reports the attacker's name as Ghasam Abu-Tir. His name was released with initial news of the attack and widely publicized on the radio, but is now being hidden by official news sources.

The Israeli Blogosphere Reacts–

A Soldier's Mother writes in This is Israel an entry entitled, “It's Happened Again”:

Yet again, a bulldozer has been used as a terrorist weapon to hurt innocent civilians. Today's terrorist has been identified as Ghasam Abu-Tir, a relative of Hamas lawmaker Muhammad Abu-Tir… The terrorist was 22 years old and a resident of an Arab neighborhood in Jerusalem… What Israel will do as a result of this latest attack…no one knows. Stay tuned and pray for the wounded.

Brian Blum of This Normal Life recounts his day in Jerusalem:

Amir and I were downtown when the police cars and ambulances started zooming past us, their sirens blaring. We had just finished an ice coffee at The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf and were waiting at a bus stop to go home. One after another, the police sped down Jaffa Road. There must have been at least 100 vehicles in just a few minutes. The reason was clear: there had been a terror attack. But we didn’t know what or where…

Was it a suicide bomber on a bus? An explosion at a cafe? The police all seemed to be heading in the direction of the King David Hotel. Wasn’t British Prime Minister Gordon Brown staying there? Had U.S. Democratic candidate Barack Obama already arrived. About that time, my cell phone died, leaving us incommunicado.

He continues:

The bulldozer driver had apparently been working just around the corner in nearby Yemin Moshe, one of Jerusalem’s most fashionable and expensive neighborhoods. Two accomplices fled and the police were sealing off any possible escape routes. Immediately after the attack, politicians began calling for a ban in the employment of East Jerusalem Arabs as construction workers in the city. But how? Jerusalem these days is one big construction zone. Bulldozers abound. Do we need to fear walking past a new building going up like we once avoided cafes and buses? What means will the terrorists use next?

…In another hour we have guests coming from overseas for a pizza party. Tonight I have a conference call with the States. Just another day in Jerusalem. Life goes on. But a normal life? Never.

Izzy Bee of Israelity Bites was also having an average day until she encountered “Massive Weapons of Construction”:

Today, I was coming back from my dentist appointment and took a shortcut through the YMCA carpark (It's across the street from the King David Hotel, where British Prime Minister Gordon Brown and his wife had just left and Barack Obama is due to check in tonight.) Timing is everything, they say. Just ten minutes later, chaos broke out.

Once again a Palestinian construction worker –aren't they all?—let loose against the traffic in the heat of a Jerusalem afternoon. After he rammed a bus and passing cars with his bulldozer, armed civilians shot him dead. One car driver was seriously hurt, and at least ten other people were injured, including a scuffed up little baby.

David Bogner of Treppenwitz comments:

Guns don't kill people… apparently tractors kill people.

Another heavy equipment terror attack just occured on Jerusalem's crowded streets. Another Arab terrorist is off to meet his 72 virgins. I can only pray that they are all male… and none too tender about their first time.

I really have nothing constructive to say about this.

Jameel of The Muqata posts about the incident including photos and videos, as well as updated news about the attack. He explains:

Once again, civilians keep the streets of Jerusalem safer. The responsible person for shooting and killing the terrorist was a civilian. A Border policeman apparently also took part. There are 5 wounded, 2 of them in serious condition and one of the wounded is an infant. [Note: these numbers are now outdated] 2 cars and a bus were damaged by the tractor. The attack took place near the King David hotel.

Dion Nissenbaum of Checkpoint Jerusalem asks:

Since this attack comes about two weeks after the first bizarre construction vehicle rampage in Jerusalem, it is certain to stoke the debate here about whether this is a new strategy being used by Palestinians - and what can be done to stop these attacks.

Since the first attacker acted alone and had no known ties to militant groups, it was thought that the rampage might be a strange anomaly.

But, as newspaper editors always tell us, it only takes three to call something a trend.

Now we have two.

In “Race of Suffering,” Lirun of East Med Sea Peace adds questions of her own:

Another psycho attacker has struck innocent pedestrians in jerusalem… i wonder who will suffer the most.. will it be israelis.. the wounded.. our economy.. world image? will it be the palestinians.. their farmers.. the residents of jerusalem or their world image? how many new roadblocks will be set up?

In a post entitled, “Using Technology to Tell You I Am OK,” Israluv of Sabra at Heart reassures:

Another terrorist bulldozer attack near my neighborhood and it means I need to change my status on Facebook, MSN Messenger, Gtalk and twitter to let everyone know I am ok. It makes life a bit easier to share the news via the web and lucky for me most of the people I know use one of the many different services listed above.

Changing my status online doesnt stop the influx of “are you ok” phone calls but it definitely helps me share the news with those who don't live in Jerusalem or even in this region with my status. My parents are still in New York and since we are 7 hours ahead I have to notify them before they even awake that I am ok…

Looking forward to the day my status online no longer needs to be updated to tell people that I am ok.

Possible Implications–

Jerusalem Mayor Uri Lupolianski reacted to today's attack saying, “You throw terrorists out the door, they climb through the window with all kinds of means and ideas. Every working tool becomes a means of terror and we must rethink how we employ those working here.”

A Note to My Readers–

At this time, I'd also like to add a personal note to my Global Voices Online readers, who I know to be intelligent and critical media consumers. As you are reading news of this incident, please take into consideration the tone and words that different news sources use in describing it and how it reflects the content of the article. Does the headline mention people or objects? Who does it hold responsible for what happened? How does the author view the attack in light of the larger situation in Israel and Palestine?

Compare these sampling of headlines:

• “Sixteen wounded in copycat bulldozer attack in Jerusalem” (Jerusalem Post, Israel)
• “Second Palestinian bulldozer rampage injures 29 on Jerusalem main street” (DebkaFile, Israel)
• “Israel terror: Three killed, 44 hurt as Palestinian runs amok with bulldozer in street” (Guardian, UK)
• “Palestinian in construction truck rams cars” (Yahoo! News)
• “Israel Bulldozer Driver Shot Dead” (BBC News, UK)
• “Bulldozer attack: Israel threatens military action” (France 24)
• “Bulldozer attack hits Jerusalem” (Al Jazeera, English version)
• “Attack injures 5 near Obama's Jerusalem hotel” (CNN)
• “Attack with bulldozer near where Obama to stay” (New York Times via Reuters)

Have Your Say–

What is your country saying? Do bloggers' headlines differ from those of the mainstream news? Please add your own findings in the comments section. Let's compare.

A 35-year-old woman killed on the spot was said to be on the way home for her kid’s birthday.

Police have confirmed the incidents were deliberately made, though cause unknown. Timed-bomb may be used on the attacks, according to the police.

The attacks inevitably created panics among Chinese, not only because the Olympics is drawing close, but also that it adds to the recent series of unrests across the country a new episode. The stun it brings about was concluded as the name of blogger Wang Xuguang’s post:

恐怖主义离我们有多远？

How far away is terrorism from us?

From Zhangjiajie blast, Weng’an conflict, Shanghai police-killings, to the very near tragedy that two villagers got killed by riot police, the nerves of Chinese were kept highly strained. However, though more or less unsettled mentally, people have not been so much panic as in this time that the shadow of death falls on innocent citizens.

On the previous stretch of conflicts, since the spearheads were pointed towards the authority that treated people unfairly, blogshpere and words of mouth more or less identified with the “trouble-makers”, most of them suppressed commons. Even when 6 Shanghai police were stabbed dead, not a small number of people side and bear compassion with the murderer Yang Jia.

However, people’s mind dramatically turned over this time, as the attacks were directed to innocent and uninformed people.

hndashu said:

The strongest condemnation of terrorism aimed at common citizens.

强烈谴责针对平民的恐怖袭击罪行

老树根007 said:

炸老百姓的真是混蛋！

What bastards those bombed people!

And more netizens thought they should have a more suitable group of people to bomb.

wjszhangm suggested:

看不起这帮废物，有种你去炸贪官啊？！脑C,和底层的草根过不去算个P本事

Shame on these craps! You should bomb the corrupted officials if you dare! Idiots, what the hell do you think you are to be hostile against grassroots!

Words of anger were poured out:

xpts0102

妈的，这般畜生，这么多贪官污吏不去炸，这么多土匪不去炸，炸无辜百姓算什么。

F***k such jerks, that bombed the innocent and leave so many officials that take, so many outlaws that plunder out of target.

岁在甲午 said:

炸贪官还能落个好名声，炸老百姓简直就是畜生。

A good reputation you get to bomb a corrupted official, but only a beast you are to kill common people.

More details about the detonation is yet unknown, but the quick response of police win applauds. Information were available very soon after the event and no restriction of interview were met by journalists, including those from Hong Kong.

However, the cause and purpose of the explosion is still a mystery. And that some citizens got alert text-message before the attack incurred a lot more suspects and guesses, so that people on the internet united to launch the flesh search engine, trying to search out the murderer. Netizens commented that the campaign would be the most meaningful use of the flesh engine.

Also, the anti-terrorism tide has rushed to Free-Tibetters, who were also the suspects.

对于藏独，疆独，回独等KB分子，除了必要的审讯要舌头，其余的应该就地枪毙

For the terrorists of Free-Tibet, Xingjiang-independence and Hui-indenpence, except the necessary trial, they should be shot right away.

A time of unrest might be coming. What or who is to blame?

While there isn't space for comments on the original Kunming-based Cailong China story, the number found on the Netease version is growing quickly:

网易内蒙古赤峰网友 ip：222.74.*.*：
2008-07-22 15:57:04 发表
抓住他们，杀无赦

网易河北唐山网友 ip：121.20.*.*：
2008-07-22 15:58:03 发表
板凳？

网易陕西西安网友 ip：125.76.*.*：
2008-07-22 16:08:25 发表
这些家伙太可恶了
一定要严查，解决打击这些社会败类
向遇难的同胞默哀！

网易山东菏泽网友 ip：219.146.*.*：
2008-07-22 16:28:31 发表
不顾百姓安危搞恐怖事件的极端分子讲会受到全世界人民的惩罚。
支持的顶起

Danwei and Shanghaiist have as usual been on top of the news. Shanghaiist links to a GoKunming post which looks at the possibility that there were actually three explosions yesterday; a commenter at Danwei puts forward a rumor that there as many as five. Also in the comments on Danwei's post is active China expat blog commenter Spelunker, who notes the wording of an SMS text message which Kunming police have already confirmed was sent out prior to the first blast:

Evidently somebody in Kunming sent the following text message warning around 5:30 am before the bombings:

“蝼蚁总动员……希望收到此短信的市民，不要在明天早上乘坐54、64、及84路工（公）交车……”
The Guardian translates it into English as:
“The general mobilisation of ants… (I) hope citizens receiving this message will not take bus lines 54, 64 and 84 tomorrow morning,”

Speculation so far on motive for the attack seems to have painted a group of disgruntled rubber farmers not far from Kunming as the top suspects, so how do…ants figure in? Ants??

Volunteers at his well-known website 64Tianwang.com (English) have been actively posting all news coverage and details surrounding Huang's case, but the campaign to have his charges dropped gained a lot more momentum when, following his formal arrest on Friday afternoon, three of China's better-known social issue bloggers, all from Sichuan, Wang Yi, Ran Yunfei and Linghu Buchong*, joined up with two other intellectual-writers, Liao Yiwu and Li Yadong, to take the brave step of issuing a letter of protest. The letter has been posted not just on their own blogs, but also on the more mainstream My1510, IndyMediaCN, among many others.

A translation of the letter, the original of which has since been read and spread widely online, can be seen below. Of particular note, however, is the online support yet another highly-read blogger, Mo Zhixu, has been providing on his own and in his own way, centered around his blog at independent portal Bullog.cn.

In early June, he posted the content of Huang's Chinese Wikipedia entry, which at the time had far more information than its English counterpart, in a post at Bullog which although has since been deleted, can still be found elsewhere.

In a June 15 post titled simply, ‘One less person on MSN', Mo reposts a Chinese-language RFA news report with the details of Huang's arrest and earthquake relief/writing activities in the few days prior. On June 17 he posted a picture of the official document first used to detain Huang nearly a week earlier on June 11, along with the legal definition of what constitutes “possession of a state secret” in China:

Then on Saturday, July 19, Mo returned to Huang's case with a picture and transcription of the official notice of Huang's formal arrest, addressed to Huang's mother, a post which in just a few hours had received over 11,000 hits and many supportive and outraged comments:

Below is the text of Wang, Ran, Linghu, Liao and Li's statement on Huang's arrest:

致成都市警方、政府、人大及广大市民：

2008年7月19日，我们在朋友聚会中，得知自6月10以来被成都警方刑事拘留的黄琦先生，已于今日下午，因“非法持有国家机密”的罪名被正式逮捕。
我们与黄琦素不相识，但尊敬他创办“天网”、致力于公民维权的努力。我们知道他曾因此坐牢，并在狱中遭受不当待遇，出狱后留下脑部疼痛等多处后遗症。我们尊敬他在此情况下，仍然坚持从事“天网”的民间维权活动，尤其是为六四受难者家属唐妈妈争取政府补偿金的努力。
作为经历了512大地震的几位四川知识分子，我们尤其尊敬黄琦先生在地震后，参与民间震后救灾的工作。我们知道他在灾区为灾民提供力所能及的物资援助，也与地震罹难者学生的家长有所联系。

但我们非常不理解，一个普通公民参与救灾、了解灾区真实情形，这和“国家机密”有什么关系？我们也曾以普通公民身份，参与过一些灾区救助的工作。我们和黄琦先生一样，也和成千上万在灾区的民间志愿者一样，因此了解到一些非官方的、甚至与媒体的报道不完全一致的信息。可是，难道一个公民从媒体以外了解到的信息，就属于“国家机密”吗？难道国家天然地拥有一切社会信息的所有权吗？难道一个公民有幸（或不幸）见到或听到了一些和政府口径不一致的信息，他就“非法持有国家机密”了吗？
如果这样的话，那就意味着每一个和黄琦说过话的灾民，都非法持有着国家机密。换言之，一旦他们成了灾民，他们就同时成了“国家机密”或携带国家机密的病毒。成都和四川警方应该逮捕每一个和黄琦有过接触的灾民，而不是仅仅逮捕黄琦一人。或者至少把所有灾民都隔离起来，免得我们一和他们说话，就触碰了国家机密。

基于法治的常识，我们知道所谓国家机密，第一是不为一般公民所知，第二是国家事先采取了保密措施。换言之，凡是能在大街上看到的事，都不是机密。凡是在大街上看见裸体，一定不是看见的人有问题，而是被看见的人有问题。也就是说，一个非国家机关的普通公民，除非他以非法的方式刺探、偷窃被国家机关预先加以保护的信息；否则，他所知道的任何信息，都不可能触及“非法持有国家机密”这一罪名。

因此，我们对成都警方因黄琦先生参与震后救灾而逮捕他、构陷他，不得不表示强烈的质疑、反对和抗议。尽管我们看出，地方政府似乎不太喜欢民间的救灾志愿活动，但成都警方逮捕黄琦的事件，仍然是令人震惊的。我们只能理解为这是对市民社会的一种否定，对民间的一次粗暴和傲慢的挑衅，也是对这个刚刚遭受地震的省份的一次羞辱。
我们基于个人的经验和良心，不相信这是一次公正的逮捕。但我们希望成都警方能以尊敬法治、尊重公民权利，同时也是尊重自己的方式，来处理这一案件。我们主张并支持媒体、网络和民间可以自由地报道和评论这一案件，我们更加鼓励成都和其他地方的知识分子、市民和媒体，更多地站出来质疑和批评成都警方，以公民的正当方式，帮助政府尊重他自己制定的法律。

我们呼吁成都警方对黄琦先生，不要采取任何刑讯逼供等违反法治的野蛮做法，呼吁成都警方准许黄琦先生的委托人可以与他见面，呼吁成都警方不要以非法的方式，继续骚扰、威胁黄琦身边的天网义工。
我们不愿这一案件，成为奥运年中又一次引起国际关注的糟糕的人权记录。但遗憾的是，我们怀疑成都警方正致力于这样做。作为中国的知识分子，我们也不愿看到中国的人权状况总是遭到其他国家人士的批评，所以我们只好硬着头皮，率先批评自己的政府。
希望成都警方和成都司法部门，也能在这个案子中有率先的回应。愿我们的批评、抗议和政府的回应，都能成为对成都、对中国的祝福。

Just a brief description of Huang's website Tianwang: put online in 1998 as a platform for reuniting families with missing persons, a year later it had expanded its focus to larger social issues, exposing several corruption cases and one major medical scandal, during which time Huang Qi was beaten while his website garnered heavy praise in commercial and official Chinese (as well as foreign) media. Less than two years later, the website was shut down. Two weeks after that, Huang Qi had it up and running again, this time hosted overseas, only then to be blocked within China as it remains today. That same summer, Huang Qi was sentenced to five years in prison for subversion of state power. All this and more can be read on Tianwang here.

*Linghu Buchong has informed GVO that while he in fact did not sign his name to the letter, he was the first person to have posted it to Bullog.