The Biden administration on Wednesday denounced the twin terror bombings in Jerusalem earlier in the day that killed one Israeli teenager and injured more than 20 others.
“We condemn unequivocally the acts of terror overnight in Jerusalem. The United States has offered all appropriate assistance to the government of Israel as it investigates the attack and works to bring the perpetrators to justice,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean Pierre said in a statement.
“We mourn the reported loss of life and wish a speedy recovery to the injured. The United States stands with the government and people of Israel. As President [Joe] Biden emphasized during his visit to Israel in July, our commitment to Israel’s security is ironclad and unbreakable,” she added.
The deceased was identified as 16-year-old Israeli-Canadian Aryeh Shechopek, a resident of Jerusalem’s Har Nof neighborhood who was studying at the Harei Yehudah yeshiva in Moshav Beit Meir.
United States Ambassador to Israel Tom Nides wrote on Twitter that he was “appalled” by the “cowardly” attack and that his “heart breaks for the families of those who were harmed.”
Nides later that confirmed that two of those injured on Wednesday are American citizens.
Authorities believe that the source of the blasts was two remotely detonated bombs packed with nails to cause maximum damage.
Police described the explosives as “high quality” and suggested an organized terror cell planned and carried out the attack.
