Return to Transcripts main page

Breaking News

Bomb Explodes in Central Jerusalem

Aired July 30, 2002 - 06:20   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.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We have a bit of breaking news to report to you this morning. We are getting an early report that a bomb exploded in central Jerusalem on Tuesday. Police report several casualties. We do not have any further information at this point.

We are going to go to our CNN bureau chief Mike Hanna, who joins us live in Jerusalem -- Mike, what do you know?

MIKE HANNA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, at the moment police have confirmed that there has been a suicide bomb attack in Jerusalem in Hanevi'im Street. That's the street running parallel to the major arterial road of Jaffa.

According to initial reports, the bomb explode at a falafel stand in Hanevi'im Street. At this stage police are saying there are casualties. However, medical sources at the scene saying the amount of casualties not that great at this stage.

We're waiting for this information. This happened within the last couple of minutes. Reports of an explosion in Jerusalem, which police have now confirmed was the work of a suicide bomber. At this stage the exact scale or size of the explosion are not clear. We're waiting for details and give them as they come in.

COOPER: Mike, do we know anything about how the bomb was delivered, whether it was on a person or in a vehicle?

HANNA: Well, at this stage we don't know that either. As I say, this happened within the last two to three minutes. We're dealing with the initial impact of this blast at this stage, police saying simply at this point that it was the work of a suicide bomber, giving no details as to whether it was an individual carrying it strapped to his or her body or whether it was in a vehicle driven past that area.

But the fact that the police said that it was a suicide bomber would appear to imply that it was somebody walking with the explosive. This is speculation at this stage. Waiting for further details. Most importantly, waiting to see how great the human cost is in this attack, which police says was an attack -- once again, just to reiterate where it was, it's in Hanevi'im Street. This a major road which runs parallel to Jaffa Road, a big arterial road running through the middle of downtown Jerusalem. At the moment now it's lunchtime in Jerusalem time so lots of people out in the streets and particularly round that particular area. The initial reports we're receiving saying that the blast occurred at or near a falafel stand in the area. But we are still hearing from medical sources on the ground their very initial reports that there are not that many casualties. But we need to confirm this at this stage. We'll have somebody on the ground there within minutes at this very, right in the heart of downtown Jerusalem.

Waiting for the details. All we know at the moment, police say a suicide bomb attack taking place in Hanevi'im Street in downtown Jerusalem. The scale of the attack we are still waiting details on this at present.

COOPER: All right, Mike Hanna reporting live from Jerusalem.

Thanks very much.

As we just reported, as Mike just mentioned, a bomb has exploded in central Jerusalem. No report yet on casualties. Obviously CNN will be following this story throughout the morning and throughout the day. We'll be checking in with Mike and several other people shortly.

Thanks very much.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com