Three Killed, Many Injured in Tel Aviv Shooting

Jerusalem - Three people were killed and more than a dozen others wounded in a shooting at a bar in a busy area of Tel Aviv late on Thursday, Israeli officials said.

The suspected gunman was killed by security forces following a manhunt, according to a statement from Israel's General Security Service on Friday morning.

"At the end of a chase by the security forces, the terrorist who carried out the attack in Tel Aviv was located and thwarted," the statement read.

The General Security Service said the suspect was shot and killed by the Shabak security forces following an exchange of fire.

The suspect was "located by the Shabak (General security service) while hiding near a mosque in Jaffa and during an exchange of fire with the Shabak and YAMAM (Israel's counter terror National unit) fighters, he was killed on the spot," the statement said.

It identified the gunman as Raed Hazem, a 28-year-old from the Palestinian city of Jenin in the West Bank, who had "no clear organizational affiliation, no security background and no previous arrests." The service said Hazem did not have a permit to enter Israel and was an illegal resident.

The investigation into the attack continues, according to the General Security Service.

The incident happened at a bar on Dizengoff Street, a popular dining area in the center of the city, an Israeli police commander said.

The number of wounded was not immediately clear. Speaking on Israeli TV, Tel Aviv police commander Ami Eshed put the number at more than a dozen.