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Suicide Bomber Planned Attack at Children's Hannukah Party

(Ha'aretz) Amos Harel - The suicide bomber who killed an Israel Defense Forces officer and two Palestinians at an army checkpoint near Tulkarm Thursday was apparently planning to blow himself up at one of the many children's events taking place in Tel Aviv during this week's Hannukah holiday, army sources said. Had the bomber not been stopped at the checkpoint, the attack would have been far more deadly, said the sources. The slain officer was Lt. Ori Binamo, 21, of Nesher. Of the slain Palestinians, one was the taxi driver and the other might have been the bomber's guide. The IDF believes that the Islamic Jihad network in the northern West Bank was responsible. That network has been responsible for the deaths of 26 Israelis since the start of the year, including all of the suicide bombings inside Israel. IDF sappers said the suicide belt containing more than 10 kilograms of explosives was packed with nails and iron scraps to make it more deadly. Because the blast occurred in an open area, its effect was mitigated, but had it gone off in an enclosed hall packed with parents and children, as was apparently intended, the effect would have been devastating. Col. Aharon Haliba, commander of the Ephraim Brigade, said, "With all my sorrow over Ori, I have to tell the truth: He and his soldiers, with their bodies, prevented [a far more serious] attack. That is their job; that is our job." Due to warnings of other attacks, the high alert along the seam between the West Bank and Israel will remain in force.
2005-12-30 00:00:00
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