ISRAEL - Powerful bomb meant for rescuers

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Ha'aretz

Powerful bomb defused in Jerusalem was intended to kill rescue workers by Baruch Kra Courtesy of Ha'aretz Wednesday August 22 2001

Police believe that two bombs near the Russian Compound in downtown Jerusalem were intended to harm security and rescue personnel.

One bomb placed under a car exploded Tuesday afternoon causing no injuries, but police sappers discovered a much larger bomb inside the car.

Police believe the attackers hoped the first bomb would draw sappers and emergency personnel to the area, at which time the second bomb would have detonated.

A group close to Fatah, calling itself "Popular Army Pioneers - Return Brigades" claimed responsibility for the attack.

A police investigation revealed that the car was parked in the same place for several days, and was inspected several times by police sappers. Parking inspectors wrote up parking tickets for the car. Police believe that the bombs were placed in and near the car a short while before the explosion.

The car was immediately identified by its license plates as belonging to three East Jerusalem men. But police found the car, with the same license plate, parked at their home, and say that the license plates on the bomber's car were apparently counterfeit. It is still unclear whether the three have any connection to the people who placed the bombs in the car.

Jerusalem Police Chief Mickey Levi said that the bomb inside the car was very big and contained nails. He said the smaller bomb was intended to draw rescue workers to the car, and the larger bomb was then meant to explode and cause as many injuries as possible among rescue workers and onlookers.

After several hours of work, police sappers managed to neutralize the second bomb.

The Jerusalem police headquarters and a strip of restaurants and bars are located in the Russian Compound, which was the site of a bombing on the evening of May 28.

Although the area is usually crowded with people at night, no one was injured in the blast which was also the result of a car bomb. The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine claimed responsibility for that bombing.

(c) 2001 Ha'aretz

-- Anonymous, August 22, 2001


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