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| Middle East |
| Mall boomer injures at least 20... |
| 2002-05-27 |
| A suspected Palestinian suicide bomber killed himself and injured up to 50 people when he blew himself up in a shopping parade in a Tel Aviv suburb, after the army stormed the West Bank town of Bethlehem in search of militants. At least 20 people were wounded, including a baby, when the bomber detonated his explosive device in the open mall, according to initial estimates by medical rescue teams. Either Yasser can't control it or he won't control it... Israeli media said as many as 50 were hurt in the first such attack on the town, just northwest of Tel Aviv. The radio said police were searching for a second suspected suicide bomber in the area. The attack came just hours after Israeli forces stormed Bethlehem in search of militants and netted one of the most wanted Palestinian suspects. Another two wanted Al-Aqsa men were also seized, including Ali Youssef Ahmed Moghrabi, 16, Ahmed's brother. The men are accused by Israel of organizing the suicide attack by a 16-year-old -- the youngest suicide bomber ever -- that killed two Israelis last Wednesday in a Tel Aviv suburb. Chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat said Arafat feared a renewed Israeli occupation of Ramallah, the scene of heavy clashes in last month's invasion which left the Palestinian leader under siege for a month. Has Yasser had a shower yet? Maybe he should bring some deodorant this time. An Israeli military source said another incursion into Qalqilya in the north of the West Bank was continuing and two suspects had been held. The army still encircled Tulkarem, north of Qalqilya, which it had occupied on Sunday while Palestinians also reported raids in Hebron and four nearby villages, where dozens were taken prisoner. The Israeli army had already moved in to Bethlehem twice over the weekend and trashed the home of Mohammad Shehadeh, local head of the Palestinian movement Islamic Jihad, who narrowly escaped capture. Golly. That's too bad about the house. Too bad there's not another line of work Mohammad could take up... Defence Minister Binyamin Ben Eliezer said security forces were "preventing 90 percent of planned attacks, capturing two suicide bombers every day before they can strike. We hope now that 10 percent of cases where we have not succeeded will drop after the operations we have launched" in Tulkarem, Qalqilya and Bethlehem, he said. Yeah, well if they do, it won't be for long. Far be it from me to tell the IDF how to do their jobs, but unless they kill the Bigs, the attacks are going to continue. The UPDATE: Two people are reported dead. |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |