Gunman Kills 2 at Bar in Tel Aviv; Manhunt Underway

A gunman opened fire outside a popular bar in the coastal Israeli city of Tel Aviv on Friday afternoon, killing two people and wounding at least three others before fleeing the scene, police said.
Gunman Kills 2 at Bar in Tel Aviv; Manhunt Underway
An Israeli eye witness sits with her dog at the scene of a shooting attack in Tel Aviv, Israel, Friday, Jan. 1, 2016. A gunman opened fire at a popular bar in the central Israeli city of Tel Aviv on Friday afternoon, killing two and wounding at least three others before fleeing the scene, police said. AP Photo/Oded Balilty
The Associated Press
Updated:

JERUSALEM—A gunman opened fire outside a popular bar in the coastal Israeli city of Tel Aviv on Friday afternoon, killing two people and wounding at least three others before fleeing the scene, police said.

The motive for the shooting spree, which took place on a busy main street, was not immediately clear, police said. Media reported the assailant was a member of Israel’s Arab minority and called it a nationalistically motivated attack but police refused to comment, saying it was still investigating.

Israeli Channel 10 TV showed CCTV footage of the incident, obtained from a health food shop next to the bar. It shows a man with short hair, glasses and a black bag over his shoulder scooping up some nuts, putting them in a plastic bag, then emptying them back. The footage then shows the man walking toward the entrance of the store, placing his backpack on a shopping cart and taking a gun out of it. He then steps outside and starts shooting, after which he runs away.

Israelis police officers search for a gunman near the scene of a shooting attack in Tel Aviv, Israel, Friday, Jan. 1, 2016. A gunman opened fire at a popular bar in the central Israeli city, killing two and wounding at least three others before fleeing the scene, police said. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)
Israelis police officers search for a gunman near the scene of a shooting attack in Tel Aviv, Israel, Friday, Jan. 1, 2016. A gunman opened fire at a popular bar in the central Israeli city, killing two and wounding at least three others before fleeing the scene, police said. AP Photo/Oded Balilty