Bombing kills 4 at Israeli mall

James Bennet with Greg Myre/NYT NYT Tuesday, May 20, 2003

Suicide attack, 5th in 48 hours, deals a blow to peace talks



AFULA, Israel A Palestinian suicide bomber blew himself up Monday at the entrance to a shopping mall in this northern town as a security guard scanned him with a metal detector. Three other people were killed, and dozens were wounded, the Israeli police and witnesses said.

.

The attack was the fifth suicide bombing in less than 48 hours, and it dealt yet another heavy blow to efforts aimed at reviving the Middle East peace effort.

.

"Palestinian terrorists have charted a course of murder and destruction," said David Baker, an official in the office of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. "It's obvious that the whole idea of making progress on the peace track does not appeal to them."

.

The bombings began Saturday night, shortly before Sharon acted as host to the new Palestinian prime minister, Mahmoud Abbas, in the highest-level talks between the two sides since fighting broke out in September 2000.

.

The latest explosion came shortly after 5 p.m. at one of the entrances to the Shaarei Amakim mall, ripping down the red marquee and filling the pitted limestone with blood.

.

Maor Suissa, an off-duty soldier waiting in line at the time, said he saw the security guard carefully running his handheld metal detector over someone in blue jeans and a green shirt.

.

"The man kept saying, 'Can I come in, can I come in,'" Suissa said.

.

But the metal detector kept beeping. A woman security guard asked to help. At that point, the male guard "turned his head for a second and the man blew up."

.

Suissa said he was knocked down by the force of the blast, but immediately got up and ran from the scene. He suffered burns to his face, as well as shrapnel wounds, and was being treated in the hospital.

.

The Israeli media reported that the two security guards were among the three people killed.

.

The militant Islamic group Hamas, which opposes any negotiations with Israel, said its members carried out the previous four bombings that began Saturday night.

.

There were conflicting claims following the attack in Afula, 75 miles north of Jerusalem, and several hours after the bombing it still was not clear who was responsible.

.

Earlier Monday, a suicide bomber on a bicycle detonated his explosives beside an Israeli Army jeep in the Gaza Strip, killing himself and wounding three soldiers.

.

In a trio of bombings Saturday night and Sunday morning, nine civilians were killed in the attacks in Jerusalem and the West Bank town of Hebron.

.

The talks between Sharon and Abbas produced no breakthroughs, but the two sides pledged to meet again to discuss the new Middle East peace plan, known as the road map.

.

In another development Monday, Israel's forensic laboratory confirmed that a body found off a beach was that of a would-be suicide bomber from Britain who fled a nightclub when his explosive failed to detonate. His accomplice killed three people in the April 30 assault.

.

The identification of Omar Khan Sharif, 27, who died of drowning, according to the lab, answered some lingering questions about one of the more unusual suicide bombings in Israel.

.

His badly decomposed body was found May 12 in the Mediterranean Sea, several hundred yards from the Tel Aviv beach.

.

But Israel's forensic lab did not confirm his identity until Monday, after receiving DNA material from Sharif's family in Britain, the lab said.

.

After initial reports Monday, Israel placed a gag order on the case, and there was no word on whether the drowning was accidental.

.

Sharif and his accomplice Asif Hanif, both Muslims who received comfortable, middle-class upbringings in Britain, apparently slipped past Israeli security checks on several occasions without arousing suspicion.

.

"It's a unique case," said Boaz Ganor, head of the International Policy Institute for Counter-Terrorism in Israel. "It gives Israel a new enemy to worry about."

.

In the attack, Hanif detonated his bomb at the entrance to Mike's Place, a popular beachfront blues club in Tel Aviv that is next door to the U.S. Embassy. Three people were killed and more than 50 wounded.

.

However, Sharif's explosive did not go off, and he fled toward south Tel Aviv and disappeared after scuffling briefly with bystanders, according to Israeli officials and media reports.

.

Of the more than 90 suicide bombings in the current Mideast fighting, this was the first time non-Palestinians carried out such an assault. Double-suicide bombings also are rare, though not unprecedented.

.

Sharif, the son of a successful businessman in Derby, attended a private preparatory school in Britain and was seen thoroughly Westernized by those who knew him and his family. But he gravitated toward radical Islam after he began attending college in London.

.

In recent years, he spent time with representatives of Al Muhajiroun, a London-based group Muslim group that espouses anti-Western ideas.

.

To reach Israel, the two British men came from Jordan and passed through an Israeli border crossing, according to diplomatic sources.

.

They then crossed the West Bank into Israel, and spent one night at a hostel just one street away from Mike's Place. While at the hostel, the two men were polite and well-behaved, and inquired about local hangouts, according to the staff of the hostel, Hayarkon 48.

.

After leaving the hostel, they entered the Gaza Strip, where they obtained the bombs, according to a senior Israeli security source.

.

Israel has long been concerned that outside groups could assist Palestinian militants. However, the security source said Israel had not uncovered any connection to a foreign organization in this case.

.

The two men, with bombs in their possession, managed to leave Gaza and return to Israel, according to the security source.

.

Israel has barred Palestinians from leaving Gaza during most of the 31 months of Middle East fighting. To date, no Palestinian bomber has been able to leave Gaza and cross into Israel to carry out the attack.

.

However, prior to the April 30 attack, foreigners were allowed in and out of Gaza with relative ease, though they are required to pass through a metal detector, and their bags are searched.

.

The two men returned to the same hostel, Hayarkon 48, on the evening of April 29, according to the staff. They checked out shortly after midnight, saying good-bye to the receptionist. A short time later Hanif set off his bomb.

< < Back to Start of Article Suicide attack, 5th in 48 hours, deals a blow to peace talks



AFULA, Israel A Palestinian suicide bomber blew himself up Monday at the entrance to a shopping mall in this northern town as a security guard scanned him with a metal detector. Three other people were killed, and dozens were wounded, the Israeli police and witnesses said.

.

The attack was the fifth suicide bombing in less than 48 hours, and it dealt yet another heavy blow to efforts aimed at reviving the Middle East peace effort.

.

"Palestinian terrorists have charted a course of murder and destruction," said David Baker, an official in the office of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. "It's obvious that the whole idea of making progress on the peace track does not appeal to them."

.

The bombings began Saturday night, shortly before Sharon acted as host to the new Palestinian prime minister, Mahmoud Abbas, in the highest-level talks between the two sides since fighting broke out in September 2000.

.

The latest explosion came shortly after 5 p.m. at one of the entrances to the Shaarei Amakim mall, ripping down the red marquee and filling the pitted limestone with blood.

.

Maor Suissa, an off-duty soldier waiting in line at the time, said he saw the security guard carefully running his handheld metal detector over someone in blue jeans and a green shirt.

.

"The man kept saying, 'Can I come in, can I come in,'" Suissa said.

.

But the metal detector kept beeping. A woman security guard asked to help. At that point, the male guard "turned his head for a second and the man blew up."

.

Suissa said he was knocked down by the force of the blast, but immediately got up and ran from the scene. He suffered burns to his face, as well as shrapnel wounds, and was being treated in the hospital.

.

The Israeli media reported that the two security guards were among the three people killed.

.

The militant Islamic group Hamas, which opposes any negotiations with Israel, said its members carried out the previous four bombings that began Saturday night.

.

There were conflicting claims following the attack in Afula, 75 miles north of Jerusalem, and several hours after the bombing it still was not clear who was responsible.

.

Earlier Monday, a suicide bomber on a bicycle detonated his explosives beside an Israeli Army jeep in the Gaza Strip, killing himself and wounding three soldiers.

.

In a trio of bombings Saturday night and Sunday morning, nine civilians were killed in the attacks in Jerusalem and the West Bank town of Hebron.

.

The talks between Sharon and Abbas produced no breakthroughs, but the two sides pledged to meet again to discuss the new Middle East peace plan, known as the road map.

.

In another development Monday, Israel's forensic laboratory confirmed that a body found off a beach was that of a would-be suicide bomber from Britain who fled a nightclub when his explosive failed to detonate. His accomplice killed three people in the April 30 assault.

.

The identification of Omar Khan Sharif, 27, who died of drowning, according to the lab, answered some lingering questions about one of the more unusual suicide bombings in Israel.

.

His badly decomposed body was found May 12 in the Mediterranean Sea, several hundred yards from the Tel Aviv beach.

.

But Israel's forensic lab did not confirm his identity until Monday, after receiving DNA material from Sharif's family in Britain, the lab said.

.

After initial reports Monday, Israel placed a gag order on the case, and there was no word on whether the drowning was accidental.

.

Sharif and his accomplice Asif Hanif, both Muslims who received comfortable, middle-class upbringings in Britain, apparently slipped past Israeli security checks on several occasions without arousing suspicion.

.

"It's a unique case," said Boaz Ganor, head of the International Policy Institute for Counter-Terrorism in Israel. "It gives Israel a new enemy to worry about."

.

In the attack, Hanif detonated his bomb at the entrance to Mike's Place, a popular beachfront blues club in Tel Aviv that is next door to the U.S. Embassy. Three people were killed and more than 50 wounded.

.

However, Sharif's explosive did not go off, and he fled toward south Tel Aviv and disappeared after scuffling briefly with bystanders, according to Israeli officials and media reports.

.

Of the more than 90 suicide bombings in the current Mideast fighting, this was the first time non-Palestinians carried out such an assault. Double-suicide bombings also are rare, though not unprecedented.

.

Sharif, the son of a successful businessman in Derby, attended a private preparatory school in Britain and was seen thoroughly Westernized by those who knew him and his family. But he gravitated toward radical Islam after he began attending college in London.

.

In recent years, he spent time with representatives of Al Muhajiroun, a London-based group Muslim group that espouses anti-Western ideas.

.

To reach Israel, the two British men came from Jordan and passed through an Israeli border crossing, according to diplomatic sources.

.

They then crossed the West Bank into Israel, and spent one night at a hostel just one street away from Mike's Place. While at the hostel, the two men were polite and well-behaved, and inquired about local hangouts, according to the staff of the hostel, Hayarkon 48.

.

After leaving the hostel, they entered the Gaza Strip, where they obtained the bombs, according to a senior Israeli security source.

.

Israel has long been concerned that outside groups could assist Palestinian militants. However, the security source said Israel had not uncovered any connection to a foreign organization in this case.

.

The two men, with bombs in their possession, managed to leave Gaza and return to Israel, according to the security source.

.

Israel has barred Palestinians from leaving Gaza during most of the 31 months of Middle East fighting. To date, no Palestinian bomber has been able to leave Gaza and cross into Israel to carry out the attack.

.

However, prior to the April 30 attack, foreigners were allowed in and out of Gaza with relative ease, though they are required to pass through a metal detector, and their bags are searched.

.

The two men returned to the same hostel, Hayarkon 48, on the evening of April 29, according to the staff. They checked out shortly after midnight, saying good-bye to the receptionist. A short time later Hanif set off his bomb. Suicide attack, 5th in 48 hours, deals a blow to peace talks



AFULA, Israel A Palestinian suicide bomber blew himself up Monday at the entrance to a shopping mall in this northern town as a security guard scanned him with a metal detector. Three other people were killed, and dozens were wounded, the Israeli police and witnesses said.

.

The attack was the fifth suicide bombing in less than 48 hours, and it dealt yet another heavy blow to efforts aimed at reviving the Middle East peace effort.

.

"Palestinian terrorists have charted a course of murder and destruction," said David Baker, an official in the office of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. "It's obvious that the whole idea of making progress on the peace track does not appeal to them."

.

The bombings began Saturday night, shortly before Sharon acted as host to the new Palestinian prime minister, Mahmoud Abbas, in the highest-level talks between the two sides since fighting broke out in September 2000.

.

The latest explosion came shortly after 5 p.m. at one of the entrances to the Shaarei Amakim mall, ripping down the red marquee and filling the pitted limestone with blood.

.

Maor Suissa, an off-duty soldier waiting in line at the time, said he saw the security guard carefully running his handheld metal detector over someone in blue jeans and a green shirt.

.

"The man kept saying, 'Can I come in, can I come in,'" Suissa said.

.

But the metal detector kept beeping. A woman security guard asked to help. At that point, the male guard "turned his head for a second and the man blew up."

.

Suissa said he was knocked down by the force of the blast, but immediately got up and ran from the scene. He suffered burns to his face, as well as shrapnel wounds, and was being treated in the hospital.

.

The Israeli media reported that the two security guards were among the three people killed.

.

The militant Islamic group Hamas, which opposes any negotiations with Israel, said its members carried out the previous four bombings that began Saturday night.

.

There were conflicting claims following the attack in Afula, 75 miles north of Jerusalem, and several hours after the bombing it still was not clear who was responsible.

.

Earlier Monday, a suicide bomber on a bicycle detonated his explosives beside an Israeli Army jeep in the Gaza Strip, killing himself and wounding three soldiers.

.

In a trio of bombings Saturday night and Sunday morning, nine civilians were killed in the attacks in Jerusalem and the West Bank town of Hebron.

.

The talks between Sharon and Abbas produced no breakthroughs, but the two sides pledged to meet again to discuss the new Middle East peace plan, known as the road map.

.

In another development Monday, Israel's forensic laboratory confirmed that a body found off a beach was that of a would-be suicide bomber from Britain who fled a nightclub when his explosive failed to detonate. His accomplice killed three people in the April 30 assault.

.

The identification of Omar Khan Sharif, 27, who died of drowning, according to the lab, answered some lingering questions about one of the more unusual suicide bombings in Israel.

.

His badly decomposed body was found May 12 in the Mediterranean Sea, several hundred yards from the Tel Aviv beach.

.

But Israel's forensic lab did not confirm his identity until Monday, after receiving DNA material from Sharif's family in Britain, the lab said.

.

After initial reports Monday, Israel placed a gag order on the case, and there was no word on whether the drowning was accidental.

.

Sharif and his accomplice Asif Hanif, both Muslims who received comfortable, middle-class upbringings in Britain, apparently slipped past Israeli security checks on several occasions without arousing suspicion.

.

"It's a unique case," said Boaz Ganor, head of the International Policy Institute for Counter-Terrorism in Israel. "It gives Israel a new enemy to worry about."

.

In the attack, Hanif detonated his bomb at the entrance to Mike's Place, a popular beachfront blues club in Tel Aviv that is next door to the U.S. Embassy. Three people were killed and more than 50 wounded.

.

However, Sharif's explosive did not go off, and he fled toward south Tel Aviv and disappeared after scuffling briefly with bystanders, according to Israeli officials and media reports.

.

Of the more than 90 suicide bombings in the current Mideast fighting, this was the first time non-Palestinians carried out such an assault. Double-suicide bombings also are rare, though not unprecedented.

.

Sharif, the son of a successful businessman in Derby, attended a private preparatory school in Britain and was seen thoroughly Westernized by those who knew him and his family. But he gravitated toward radical Islam after he began attending college in London.

.

In recent years, he spent time with representatives of Al Muhajiroun, a London-based group Muslim group that espouses anti-Western ideas.

.

To reach Israel, the two British men came from Jordan and passed through an Israeli border crossing, according to diplomatic sources.

.

They then crossed the West Bank into Israel, and spent one night at a hostel just one street away from Mike's Place. While at the hostel, the two men were polite and well-behaved, and inquired about local hangouts, according to the staff of the hostel, Hayarkon 48.

.

After leaving the hostel, they entered the Gaza Strip, where they obtained the bombs, according to a senior Israeli security source.

.

Israel has long been concerned that outside groups could assist Palestinian militants. However, the security source said Israel had not uncovered any connection to a foreign organization in this case.

.

The two men, with bombs in their possession, managed to leave Gaza and return to Israel, according to the security source.

.

Israel has barred Palestinians from leaving Gaza during most of the 31 months of Middle East fighting. To date, no Palestinian bomber has been able to leave Gaza and cross into Israel to carry out the attack.

.

However, prior to the April 30 attack, foreigners were allowed in and out of Gaza with relative ease, though they are required to pass through a metal detector, and their bags are searched.

.

The two men returned to the same hostel, Hayarkon 48, on the evening of April 29, according to the staff. They checked out shortly after midnight, saying good-bye to the receptionist. A short time later Hanif set off his bomb. Suicide attack, 5th in 48 hours, deals a blow to peace talks



AFULA, Israel A Palestinian suicide bomber blew himself up Monday at the entrance to a shopping mall in this northern town as a security guard scanned him with a metal detector. Three other people were killed, and dozens were wounded, the Israeli police and witnesses said.

.

The attack was the fifth suicide bombing in less than 48 hours, and it dealt yet another heavy blow to efforts aimed at reviving the Middle East peace effort.

.

"Palestinian terrorists have charted a course of murder and destruction," said David Baker, an official in the office of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. "It's obvious that the whole idea of making progress on the peace track does not appeal to them."

.

The bombings began Saturday night, shortly before Sharon acted as host to the new Palestinian prime minister, Mahmoud Abbas, in the highest-level talks between the two sides since fighting broke out in September 2000.

.

The latest explosion came shortly after 5 p.m. at one of the entrances to the Shaarei Amakim mall, ripping down the red marquee and filling the pitted limestone with blood.

.

Maor Suissa, an off-duty soldier waiting in line at the time, said he saw the security guard carefully running his handheld metal detector over someone in blue jeans and a green shirt.

.

"The man kept saying, 'Can I come in, can I come in,'" Suissa said.

.

But the metal detector kept beeping. A woman security guard asked to help. At that point, the male guard "turned his head for a second and the man blew up."

.

Suissa said he was knocked down by the force of the blast, but immediately got up and ran from the scene. He suffered burns to his face, as well as shrapnel wounds, and was being treated in the hospital.

.

The Israeli media reported that the two security guards were among the three people killed.

.

The militant Islamic group Hamas, which opposes any negotiations with Israel, said its members carried out the previous four bombings that began Saturday night.