Inside the Mosque

THE GUNMAN

Dr. Baruch Goldstein

Age: 38

Occupation: Physician

Home: Kiryat Arba settlement; moved to Israel 11 years ago from Brooklyn New York

Possible motive: Member of the extremist anti-Arab Kach movement founded by the late Rabbi Meir Kahane, who was assassinated in New York in November, 1990. Palestinian radicals killed friends of Goldstein’s in December.

HIS ARSENAL

Pistol

Hand grenades

Israeli-made Galil assault rifle

THE ATTACK

Time: About 5:45 a.m. local time

Place: The Ibrahim Mosque in the city of Hebron, packed with 600 worshipers for Ramadan prayers. Ibrahim Mosque is located in the Cave of the Patriarchs, a 2,000-year-old shrine that is believed to be the burial place of the patriarch Abraham, a holy figure to Jews, Christians and Muslims.

HOW IT HAPPENED

1. Wearing a military uniform, the gunman slips past guards

2. He stands near the only entrance and opens fire on the back rows of worshipers as they kneel, heads to the floor, for dawn prayers. Israel radio said the gunman changed ammunition clips several times, and one witnesses said he hurled grenades.

3. The gunman dies after the attack, overpowered and killed by Arabs.

THE REACTION

Clashes erupt between Palestinians and Israeli soldiers. Most of the violence is around Hebron, a city of 50,000.

Israeli army pours extra troops into the occupied lands and clamps a curfew on Hebron. It also seals off the Gaza Strip and bans Palestinians under age 40 from entering Jerusalem.

In Jerusalem, thousands riot afterward, throwing stones at police, who respond with tear gas.

THE RIFLE

Firing rate: 750 rounds per minute

Capacity: 35 bullets

Manufacturer: TASS Israel Industries Inc.

Used by: Israeli forces and other armies

SOURCES: The Associated Press, the New Columbia Encyclopedia, the Random House Encyclopedia