2nd LD Writethru: UN Security Council slams deadly terrorist attack in Tel Aviv

The UN Security Council on Thursday condemned "in the strongest terms" a terrorist attack in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Wednesday, which killed at least four Israeli civilians, stressing that "those responsible for these killings should be held accountable."

"The members of the Security Council reaffirmed that terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security," said the 15-nation UN body in a statement issued to the press here.

The attack also left another four injured as two attackers identified as Palestinians opened fire Wednesday night at a popular food and shopping complex near the Israeli Defense Ministry in Tel Aviv, reports said.

The council members expressed their deepest sympathy and condolences to the families of the victims and to the government of Israel, the statement said, adding that they wished a speedy recovery to those injured, said the statement.

On Wednesday night, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemned the terrorist attack, reiterating that "there is no justification for terrorism nor for the glorification of those who commit such heinous acts."

The council members "stressed that those responsible for these killings should be held accountable, and urged all States, in accordance with their obligations under international law and relevant Security Council resolutions, to cooperate actively with all relevant authorities in this regard," the statement said.

"The members of the Security Council reiterated that any acts of terrorism are criminal and unjustifiable, regardless of their motivation, wherever, whenever and by whomsoever committed," the statement said.

"They reaffirmed the need for all States to combat by all means, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations and other obligations under international law, including international human rights law, international refugee law and international humanitarian law, threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts," it added.

A security guard at the scene captured one of the attackers, who was arrested by the Israeli police, while the second one ran several hundred meters away towards a near cinema complex and continued to shoot as people ran away. He was shot and wounded in serious condition by security guards of the Israel Radio station located there, and is undergoing surgery, reports said.

The last time a deadly shooting attack took place in Tel Aviv was in January, when 29-year-old Arab Israeli Nashat Milhem shot and killed two Israelis at a Tel Aviv bar, and killed another Arab Israeli taxi driver after fleeing the scene. Endit