israelinsider: security:Car bomb explodes in center of Or Yehuda

Car bomb explodes in center of Or Yehuda
By Ellis Shuman April 24, 2001


		04/24 Non-lethal car bomb a 'miracle' Jerusalem Post 04/23 Palestinians admit suicide bombing BBC 04/23 Israel's fourth bomb attack Sky News



			Or Yehuda bombing

Police examine the charred remains of cars after a car bomb exploded in Or Yehuda. (Reuters)

Eight people were lightly injured yesterday in a car bomb explosion in Or Yehuda. Tel Aviv Police Chief Cmdr. Yossi Sedbon said it was a "miracle" that there were so few injuries. "Fortunately, although this is a commercial center, there were only a few casualties from shock and minor injuries and not from the explosion itself," Sedbon told reporters.

The explosion in Or Yehuda came one day after a suicide bomber killed one person and injured over fifty near a bus stop in Kfar Saba. On Sunday night a bomb exploded next to a falafel stand at the Checkpost junction north of Haifa. The quick thinking of a messenger who alerted the police over a suspicious unattended bag prevented a potential disaster. Three policemen who came to investigate were lightly injured in the blast.

Shortly after 14:00 yesterday afternoon a loud explosion rocked Haganah Street in the center of Or Yehuda's commercial district. "I parked my car and went towards the shop to buy vegetables," said Nadia, an eyewitness to the explosion. "I turned around and saw a huge ball of fire and a car lifted up into the air. In a matter of seconds the fire spread to my car as well."

Police investigators determined that the bomber came to Or Yehuda in a Daihatsu car stolen in Jerusalem three days ago. The car was parked between two other vehicles, near the Abu Laben market on the street. The charge, which had been placed in the car's trunk, contained a gas balloon, nails and several kilograms of explosives.

Police Inspector General Shlomo Aharonishky said yesterday that virtually the whole of Israel is a soft underbelly for terror attacks and not only the Sharon region. According to Aharonishky, the public must be prepared for additional terrorist attacks in the days, weeks and months to come.

An anonymous caller to Israeli Radio said the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) was responsible for the Or Yehuda attack.

Security forces on high alert
Security officials are seriously investigating the possibility that another suicide bomber could strike in the immediate near future. After Sunday's bus stop attack in Kfar Saba, the Hamas originally issued a statement claiming that Omar Abu Attaya from Gaza City was the suicide bomber. The organization later issued a statement attributing the bombing to Imad Kamel Azbeddi of Nablus, leading police to believe that Attaya is still on the loose.

Security forces are on high alert in preparation for the Independence Day celebrations in Israel this week. Events planned will take place as scheduled, alongside reinforced patrols of police, border guards and soldiers in city centers and at check posts.

After the explosion yesterday in Or Yehuda, Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat condemned a bombing attack in Israel for the first time in months. Arafat said, "There is no doubt we do not agree to any form of attack on Israeli or Palestinian civilians."