Czech Diplomat Killed in Jerusalem as Minibus Mounts Sidewalk Near Mahane Yehuda
Klára Schneiderová, 30, led the Czech Embassy's Jerusalem branch office. Police detained the driver and are investigating the crash as a traffic accident.
See where this is ›JERUSALEM —
Klára Schneiderová, 30, head of the Czech Embassy's branch office in Jerusalem, was killed Thursday, Oct. 29, when a minibus mounted a sidewalk near the Mahane Yehuda market and struck her as she walked, The Times of Israel reported. The embassy announced her death Friday.
See where this is ›The driver reportedly lost control of the vehicle, which then crashed into a storefront on Agrippas Street. Video from the scene showed it apparently out of control. Police detained the driver at the scene, and Jerusalem District traffic investigators opened an inquiry. The report did not describe the crash as an attack.
Medics with Magen David Adom treated Schneiderová for multiple traumatic injuries and took her in critical condition to Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem while performing resuscitation. She was pronounced dead there.
The embassy said it shared the news “with deep sadness and heavy hearts,” calling her “a smart, warm and friendly person, and an outstanding diplomat.” Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar called her “a true friend to Israel.”
Schneiderová had reportedly arrived in Israel a month earlier. Ynet reported that her father was Czech ambassador to Israel in the late 1990s, that a black flag was to fly at Czernin Palace in Prague, home of the Czech Foreign Ministry, and that her body would be flown home for burial.
What we don't know yet: Investigators have not said publicly why the driver lost control, and the driver has not been named.
