The driver of an Egged bus and seven passengers were injured today when a bomb exploded in the vehicle moments after it arrived at the Afula bus station in central Israel. Six of the eight injured were treated at the local hospital and sent home. Two women, one 63 years old and the other, 29, remained in the hospital for additional treatment.
The bus was traveling from Kiryat Shemona to Tel Aviv and made a number of stops along the way to pick up passengers, including a stop in Nazareth where many Jewish and Arab passengers got on. The next stop was Afula where many of the passengers alighted and others were lined up waiting to board the bus. The bomb exploded at that interval.
According to police, the bomb, which had been placed in the front section of the bus, was composed of explosives fitted into an iron pipe and had an activating device. Police detained II persons for questioning. The Palestine Liberation Organization claimed responsibility for this act and warned that increased operations inside Israel would continue. The PLO claimed today’s incident was in retaliation for the decision to equalize services for residents on the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
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