Jerusalem blast: Man's vigilance saves lives

Man's vigilance reduced number of casualties: One of the wounded in Wednesday's terror attack called police after spotting a suspicious object near a bus station, possibly saving civilian lives and minimizing the number of casualties in Jerusalem. 

The man, David Amoyal, informed police, but call was interrupted by the explosion that killed a 59-yea-old woman and wounded 38, Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat said.

"He saw a suspicious bag and told some youths who were nearby to stay away while he called police," said Barkat after arriving a the Hadassah Medical Center in Ein Kerem. "During his call, the device went off. If he had a little more time, it's possible that there would be fewer casualties."

The mayor added that Amoyal needed only a few more minutes to clear the area of civilians. "I applaud his efforts, it shows that everyone needs to be alert."

Amoyal, 52, worked at a kiosk that was completely destroyed when a suicide bomber detonated next to it in 1994. Once rebuilt, the shop was ironically named "Pitzuz Shel Kiosk," which literally means "an blast of a kiosk."

On Wednesday, his brother-in-law, Shimshon Moshe, who owns the shop, asked Amoyal to replace him during the afternoon shift. He was only a few feet away from the bomb when it detonated, and suffered moderate injuries.

"He said that it is painful for him that he couldn't save more people," Amoyal's sister Esther said. "He said, 'I was saved, but I'm pained for the others.'"

Esther said that her brother was injured in his abdomen by shrapnel and was undergoing some tests before going into surgery.

Meanwhile, Mayor Barkat made it clear that the city will be back to business as usual shortly.

"We won't let anyone ruin our lives," he said, "The Jerusalem Marathon will go ahead as planned, and there is no change in Jerusalem's ability to handle this kind of terror attack. I hope the terrorists will be exposed; we aren't the only city hit in the last few days. We need to be patient and maintain restraint."

At around 3:00 pm an explosive device weighing between 1-2 kilograms (2.2-4.4 pounds) went off near a bus station at the entrance to Jerusalem. Dozens of people were hurt including one woman who was pronounced dead upon arrival at the Hadassah Medical Center.

Aviad Glickman contributed to this report

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