Gunman kills two at Tel Aviv gay centre

TEL AVIV - An unidentified shooter killed at least two people and wounded 13 more in an attack at a gay and lesbian youth center in central Tel Aviv late Saturday night.

The gunman, wearing a mask and black clothes, entered a basement of an apartment building just before 11 P.M. where the Tel Aviv Gay and Lesbian Association was holding a weekly support meeting for teenagers and opened fire with an automatic rifle before fleeing the scene.

The Magen David Adom emergency medical service said at least one of the wounded was in critical condition.

Tel Aviv District Police Commander Major General Shahar Ayalon said police officers had been deployed to search for the assailant. Crime scene officers combed the area for evidence.

In a protest held adjacent to the scene of the shooting, Israel's only openly-gay parliamentarian Nitzan Horowitz, condemned the attack as a hate crime.

"This is undoubtedly the worst incident targeting the gay community in Israel. It has the characteristics of a hate crime, of someone who attacked to blindly strike out at every person on the spot."

(Mati Milstein is a freelance photographer and journalist based in Tel Aviv. A former chief desk editor at Haaretz.com, the website of Israel's leading daily newspaper, his work appears in Israeli and international media outlets. He may be found on the Web at www.matimilstein.com)

TEL AVIV - An unidentified shooter killed at least two people and wounded 13 more in an attack at a gay and lesbian youth center in central Tel Aviv late Saturday night.

The gunman, wearing a mask and black clothes, entered a basement of an apartment building just before 11 P.M. where the Tel Aviv Gay and Lesbian Association was holding a weekly support meeting for teenagers and opened fire with an automatic rifle before fleeing the scene.

The Magen David Adom emergency medical service said at least one of the wounded was in critical condition.

Tel Aviv District Police Commander Major General Shahar Ayalon said police officers had been deployed to search for the assailant. Crime scene officers combed the area for evidence.

In a protest held adjacent to the scene of the shooting, Israel's only openly-gay parliamentarian Nitzan Horowitz, condemned the attack as a hate crime.

"This is undoubtedly the worst incident targeting the gay community in Israel. It has the characteristics of a hate crime, of someone who attacked to blindly strike out at every person on the spot."

(Mati Milstein is a freelance photographer and journalist based in Tel Aviv. A former chief desk editor at Haaretz.com, the website of Israel's leading daily newspaper, his work appears in Israeli and international media outlets. He may be found on the Web at www.matimilstein.com)

TEL AVIV - An unidentified shooter killed at least two people and wounded 13 more in an attack at a gay and lesbian youth center in central Tel Aviv late Saturday night.

The gunman, wearing a mask and black clothes, entered a basement of an apartment building just before 11 P.M. where the Tel Aviv Gay and Lesbian Association was holding a weekly support meeting for teenagers and opened fire with an automatic rifle before fleeing the scene.

The Magen David Adom emergency medical service said at least one of the wounded was in critical condition.

Tel Aviv District Police Commander Major General Shahar Ayalon said police officers had been deployed to search for the assailant. Crime scene officers combed the area for evidence.

In a protest held adjacent to the scene of the shooting, Israel's only openly-gay parliamentarian Nitzan Horowitz, condemned the attack as a hate crime.

"This is undoubtedly the worst incident targeting the gay community in Israel. It has the characteristics of a hate crime, of someone who attacked to blindly strike out at every person on the spot."

(Mati Milstein is a freelance photographer and journalist based in Tel Aviv. A former chief desk editor at Haaretz.com, the website of Israel's leading daily newspaper, his work appears in Israeli and international media outlets. He may be found on the Web at www.matimilstein.com)

TEL AVIV - An unidentified shooter killed at least two people and wounded 13 more in an attack at a gay and lesbian youth center in central Tel Aviv late Saturday night.

The gunman, wearing a mask and black clothes, entered a basement of an apartment building just before 11 P.M. where the Tel Aviv Gay and Lesbian Association was holding a weekly support meeting for teenagers and opened fire with an automatic rifle before fleeing the scene.

The Magen David Adom emergency medical service said at least one of the wounded was in critical condition.

Tel Aviv District Police Commander Major General Shahar Ayalon said police officers had been deployed to search for the assailant. Crime scene officers combed the area for evidence.

In a protest held adjacent to the scene of the shooting, Israel's only openly-gay parliamentarian Nitzan Horowitz, condemned the attack as a hate crime.

"This is undoubtedly the worst incident targeting the gay community in Israel. It has the characteristics of a hate crime, of someone who attacked to blindly strike out at every person on the spot."

(Mati Milstein is a freelance photographer and journalist based in Tel Aviv. A former chief desk editor at Haaretz.com, the website of Israel's leading daily newspaper, his work appears in Israeli and international media outlets. He may be found on the Web at www.matimilstein.com)

TEL AVIV - An unidentified shooter killed at least two people and wounded 13 more in an attack at a gay and lesbian youth center in central Tel Aviv late Saturday night.

The gunman, wearing a mask and black clothes, entered a basement of an apartment building just before 11 P.M. where the Tel Aviv Gay and Lesbian Association was holding a weekly support meeting for teenagers and opened fire with an automatic rifle before fleeing the scene.

The Magen David Adom emergency medical service said at least one of the wounded was in critical condition.

Tel Aviv District Police Commander Major General Shahar Ayalon said police officers had been deployed to search for the assailant. Crime scene officers combed the area for evidence.

In a protest held adjacent to the scene of the shooting, Israel's only openly-gay parliamentarian Nitzan Horowitz, condemned the attack as a hate crime.

"This is undoubtedly the worst incident targeting the gay community in Israel. It has the characteristics of a hate crime, of someone who attacked to blindly strike out at every person on the spot."

(Mati Milstein is a freelance photographer and journalist based in Tel Aviv. A former chief desk editor at Haaretz.com, the website of Israel's leading daily newspaper, his work appears in Israeli and international media outlets. He may be found on the Web at www.matimilstein.com)