Tel Aviv shooting: Netanyahu warns Israeli Arabs

Candles have been lit at the bar to commemorate those who were killed

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said security will be tightened in Israeli Arab areas after a gunman killed two people in Tel Aviv.

Visiting the scene of the attack on Saturday Mr Netanyahu demanded "loyalty to the state's laws from everyone".

Police have named a 29-year-old Israeli Arab as the suspect. No motive has been established for the shooting.

Seven people were also wounded, four of them seriously, in Friday's attack outside a popular Tel Aviv bar.

Mr Netanyahu: "This was the site of a despicable murder"

Security forces are on "heightened alert" and are searching for the gunman who is still at large, police said on Saturday.

Visiting the bar in Dizengoff Street, Mr Netanyahu praised Israeli Arab leaders for condemning the killings - but said Israel was in danger of becoming "a state of law for most citizens, and a state within a state with Islamist incitement and illegal arms that are often used in weddings, celebrations and criminal incidents", the Jerusalem Post reports.

He said his government would "bolster law enforcement efforts in the Negev, the Galilee, the Triangle, everywhere". This would include building new police stations and recruiting more police officers.

Friday's attack took place in a busy part of Tel Aviv city centre filled with bars and cafes.

Security camera footage showed the gunman taking an automatic rifle out of his backpack and then firing at least 15 shots at people in the street before fleeing the scene.

The two victims have been identified as Alon Bakal, 26, who was a manager at the bar targeted, and Shimon Ruimi, 30.

The suspect, from northern Israel, had stolen the gun from his father, who works in security, Haaretz newspaper reported.

The father recognised his son from media reports and contacted the police, the newspaper said. 

Security forces have been carrying out searches in the city

Friday's shootings follow a wave of Palestinian attacks against Israelis over the past few months.

As of 23 December, at least 21 Israelis had been killed in the recent violence, most of them in stabbings and shooting attacks by Palestinians.

At least 131 Palestinians have also been killed. More than half were said by Israel to be attackers. Others have been killed in clashes with Israeli forces.

Source: BBC

Tel Aviv shooting: Two dead, Israeli police say

A large manhunt is taking place in central Tel Aviv as police search for the attacker

Two people have died and and seven others have been injured after a gunman opened fire with an automatic rifle at a bar in Tel Aviv, Israeli police say.

Security camera footage showed the suspect taking a weapon out of his backpack and shooting.

Israeli security forces have launched a massive manhunt for the gunman, cordoning off areas of the city.

The suspect appears to be choosing dried fruit or nuts in this image from the grocery store

A few seconds later the suspect has taken a gun out of his bag and is shooting from just outside the shop

The incident took place in Dizengoff Street, a busy part of the city centre filled with bars and cafes.

It was not immediately clear what motivated the shooting, which follows a wave of Palestinian attacks against Israelis over the past few months.

Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld told the BBC: "It's not clear what the background of the incident is, if it's a terrorist attack or if it's criminal-related."

Four of the wounded had suffered serious injuries, he said.

Armed members of the Israeli security forces are searching Tel Aviv

Undercover units and counter-terrorism units were working in different areas of Tel Aviv, Mr Rosenfeld said, adding that no specific warning of an attack had been received.

Israeli media are reporting that the attacker has been identified as an Israeli Arab from northern Israel.

The Times of Israel reported, citing police sources, that his father had recognised his son in security footage and called police.

Analysis: Kevin Connolly, BBC News, Jerusalem

While 1 January is not New Year's Day in the Jewish state, Friday afternoon would be the peak of the weekend and this was a party area of Tel Aviv.

The city tends to be slightly more remote from the political tensions and violence affecting other parts of Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories.

Forensic teams were working at the scene of the attack

There has been speculation that if the bar was popular with the gay community, it may have been a hate crime. It remains a possibility that there was some kind of link to organised crime.

But until the perpetrator is captured, it is not clear what the motive may have been.

A spokesman for the Israeli ambulance service, Zaki Heller, said people inside and outside the bar had been hit:

"Some of the wounded were inside the pub. Three of them were lying unconscious and the rest were on the sidewalk [pavement]," he said.

Footage from a neighbouring food store shows the gunman - who appears to be a young man, wearing protective glasses or sunglasses, and dressed in dark clothes - choosing dried fruits or nuts.

Moments later, he returns the items, gets an assault rifle out of his bag, leaves the shop and can be seen opening fire from near the doorway.

He is believed to have made off on foot.

Afterwards, broken glass could be seen on the pavement outside the bar and a nearby cafe which was also targeted.

Osnat David, who owns a nearby hair ,said she and her customers had hidden while the shooting took place.

"We were shaking," she said. "There were about eight of us, hiding in the storage room."

The shooting took place at around 15:00 local time (13:00 GMT) on Friday.

As of 23 December, at least 21 Israelis had been killed in the recent violence, most of them in stabbings and shooting attacks by Palestinians.

At least 131 Palestinians have also been killed. More than half were said by Israel to be attackers. Others have been killed in clashes with Israeli forces.

Source: BBC