Two relatives of the attackers said the attack was motivated by what the attackers saw as threats of a Jewish takeover of Al Aqsa, and the death of a Palestinian bus driver, Youssef al-Ramouni, in Jerusalem's Har Hotzvim bus depot. Israeli authorities said an autopsy found only evidence of suicide, and that a Palestinian pathologist who attended the autopsy, Dr. Saber al-Aloul, initially agreed with the finding. However, the doctor later said the results pointed towards an organized killing; many Palestinians believe the bus driver was murdered by Israeli settlers.