She told interrogators that she had wanted to kill 40 or 50 people, including as many youngsters as possible.
At least 10 wounded in blast at Beersheba bus station
Jerusalem Post ^ | Aug. 28, 2005 | JPOST.COM STAFF
A suicide bomb attack at the entrance to the central bus station in Beersheva wounded at least six people at 8:30 Sunday morning.
Two of the wounded, both security guards who kept the bomber from entering the bus station, were in critical condition and were evacuated to the Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba.
The rest of the wounded were also evacuated to hospital, a spokesman for Magen David Adom said.
According to witnesses, the suicide bomber attempted to enter the Beersheba bus station. The security guards at the site reportedly saw a young Arab man carrying a backpack who aroused their suspicions.
Other reports from the scene describe the bomber attempting to board two different buses and being turned away, before trying to enter the bus station itself.
When the two security guards blocked the bomber's entrance to the station proper, he detonated his explosives outside the station, in a less crowded area.
Since Sunday is always a high-traffic day in the country's bus stations, with crowds of soldiers returning to their army bases, the security guards effectively prevented an attack that could have caused multiple fatalities.
Roadblocks were set up in the surrounding area immediately after the bombing, in attempt to capture the drivers who transported the bombers to the site.
Initial investigations suggested that the bomber had intended to blow up at the Soroka Medical Center, Channel 2 reported.
This is not the first time a bomber has attempted to target the hospital. In June of this year a woman was caught at the Erez crossing wearing explosives stitched to her underwear, headed for the hospital. The woman had been regularly receiving treatment for burns there over the previous year. She told interrogators that she had wanted to kill 40 or 50 people, including as many youngsters as possible.
Most of the police officers who would usually be on duty Sunday morning were on vacation after their intensive week evacuating settlers from the Gaza Strip and northern Samaria, Channel 10 reported.
In the past attacks in Beersheba have been carried out by terrorists who crossed into Israel from the southern Hebron hills, where the security fence has not been completed. |
