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CNN Live At Daybreak

Israeli Police Shot and Killed a Palestinian Man Who Ran Over Two Israeli Soldiers

Aired January 28, 2002 - 05:31   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.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Let's talk now about violence in the Middle East, because it does continue unabated. Israeli police shot and killed a Palestinian man who crashed an army checkpoint and ran over two Israeli soldiers -- that on the heels of another suicide bombing and more pressure on Yasser Arafat.

CNN's Jerrold Kessel joins us live from Jerusalem with the latest there -- take it away.

JERROLD KESSEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol, I think the most important thing that comes out of this latest incident of the death of a Palestinian shot dead by Israeli police in the streets of a Tel Aviv suburb is just how jittery, how tense, how volatile the situation has demanded.

As you say, he crashed through an army checkpoint on the border between Israel and the West Bank, and then running down on one of the soldiers at that checkpoint, he was wounded -- the soldier. Then the contact was lost with him. It was picked up later as police went on a search.

Apparently, when he crashed his car into an Israeli car in that suburb of Tel Aviv, he sped away from there, running down two Israelis, a woman and a policeman. Shots were then fired. At first it had been said that the man had opened fire as his car was tracked down eventually at a stop light in the center of that suburb of Tel Aviv. But later, after he had been shot and killed, police say they didn't find any gun or spent cartridges in his car, and the presumption that he wasn't armed. But they do say that he had premeditated intent with what seemed like that in running those three Israelis on the way there.

But it's not yet clear was the motive behind this, what kind of action this was or whether he was involved in some kind of terror activity. That's still something of a mystery. But it does, as I say, underline the jitteriness, and that was very much reflected on Jerusalem streets this morning where literally every few steps, there was a security official, a policeman, a policeman, armed soldiers in that area of downtown West Jerusalem, where there was another suicide bombing yesterday, which killed an elderly Israeli man -- an 81-year- old Israeli man, wounded more than 100, and there were many, many more Israelis going to the hospital to be treated for shock. And the presumption is that it was Palestinian woman who carried out the attack. Whether she was a suicide bomber, or that the explosives that she was planning to leave in the area were there, has not been determined. But certainly, that's what the Israeli authorities are saying that this was another Palestinian militant attack in the heart of Jerusalem.

And one of those caught up in that attack was a man from Long Island, who was there with his wife and two children. Mark Sokolov of Long Island, a 42 year old, who had a very interesting -- or perhaps that's a mild word to describe the comparison, because he was caught up in the bombing of Twin Towers. He was in the second tower on the 38th floor, he reported this morning when we got down to speak to him in his hospital bed, where he was recovering from light injuries in yesterday's bombing.

In the September 11 attack, after the attack of the plane crashed into the first tower, he went downstairs, along with many others, down the 38 floors, was in the lobby when the second plane crashed into that tower. He managed to escape unscathed from that attack on September 11, and here he was standing outside the shoe store, which bore the brunt of yesterday's suicide bombing in Jerusalem, and this is what he told us, something about his feelings after that attack yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARK SOKOLOV, INJURED IN SUICIDE BOMB ATTACK: We got separated, and we were standing in front of the store waiting for our cousin to join us, and then I felt and heard the whoosh of the glass. And the first thing in my mind was to find my wife and daughters, but people were pulling me to the side, you know, to get me out of danger or just -- because I was bleeding, and they wanted to make sure I was safe. And I kept saying, I need to find my wife and daughters.

And then, they put me into an ambulance, and I was just sitting there for a few minutes I guess while they were getting other people. And then again, I got out of the ambulance, and I said, you know, I have to find my wife and daughters. And it was very distressing, because I had no idea how they were doing.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KESSEL: And he said that he was luckier back then on September 11, despite the lack of comparison in these two events. He personally was luckier, because there he got off unscathed. Today, he was caught up in this latest suicide bombing. He only suffered light injuries, as did his wife and two young daughters, but there were all OK, we understand from the hospitals -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Jerrold, is he going to come home? He's got an angel sitting on his shoulder anyway. But is he and his wife going to get out of Israel soon?

KESSEL: Yes. They are planning -- he said that he had come here to try to -- he felt that they needed to identify with Israel at this time. They had come here for a short visit. They were waiting outside that shoe store, which is something of a Jerusalem landmark. They have selling shoes in the city for many generations, and that was a place they had arranged to meet a relative who was going to give them something to take back home to the States, and they were due to leave pretty soon back home for Long Island -- Carol.

COSTELLO: All right, thank you, Jerrold Kessel, reporting live for us from Jerusalem this morning. Wow!

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