An Arab guard at the El Aksa mosque when the fire broke out early on Aug. 21 delayed running for help because he was accosted by the suspected arsonist, Michael Denis William Rohen, a witness testified yesterday. The guard said he recognized the 28 year-old Australian national who emerged from the shrine just before the fire was discovered. He said Rohen offered him a ten pound note (about $2.80) presumably as a bribe because the mosque was closed to visitors at the time.
Questioning by Attorney-general Meir Shamgar revealed that the guards appointed by the Moslem Supreme Religious Council, had no ready means of contacting police or civil defense authorities and did not know how to operate the fire-fighting equipment in the mosque. The witness told Mr. Shamgar that in case of emergency he could only run for help.
He said when he discovered the fire he had a choice of running for help or trying to extinguish the blaze and decided to do the latter. But the flames spread quickly and he had to leave the scene to get help. The guard said that when he came on duty at eight in the morning he did not see the night guard whom he was supposed to relieve. Rohen was already in the mosque. He said he recognized the Australian from a previous visit.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
