Taysar Duwiyat, the father of the bulldozer attacker, says that his son was not a terrorist. The son, Hussam, murdered three Jews and wounded dozens on Wednesday when he drove his bulldozer into buses and cars on a downtown Jerusalem street.
Taysar dissociated himself from his son's attack. "How could he do such a thing?" he said. But the father added, "He is not a terrorist. He is a drug addict. He has given us nothing but problems."
The father's remarks come at a time when senior officials are considering demolishing the Duwiyat family house in eastern Jerusalem, as a deterrent against future terrorist attacks. The Duwiyat family has hired a lawyer, Shimon Kokosh, to oppose the demolition.
Kokosh claims his client's son was temporarily insane and was not a terrorist. Kokosh maintains that the bulldozer operator Hussam would not have been able to stand trial because of his mental condition. A soldier on leave killed the bulldozer operator before he could continue his rampage.
The murderer shouted Ala Akbar (Allah is the Greatest), a common slogan used by terrorists who are motivated by religious vengeance. Kokush explained, "He probably said it after he was shot, wounded and fainted. He then regained consciousness and made the remark as an instinctive reaction.
The attacker shouted Ala Akbar (Allah is the Greatest), a common slogan used by terrorists during an attack.
Kokush declared, "There is no proof that he was a terrorist. The Prime Minister and Defense Minister have to prove he was a terrorist before they can order that his home be destroyed." He based his claim on reports by security officials that Duwiyat acted on his own and that no known terrorist organization took responsibility for the attack.
Police said that the attacker had a criminal record and served two years for raping a Jewish woman whom he knew.
Four hours after the terrorist attack, his sister-in-law walked on the porch of her home and shouted, "Shahid! (martyr)."