Former American, Injured in Bomb Blast, is Fighting for His Life

Fifteen suspects have been detained for questioning in connection with two bomb explosions in Jerusalem yesterday in which two persons were injured. The injured, reported in serious condition, are Steve Hilmes, 31, a police sapper, and Mordechai Baron, 48, a passerby. Hilmes’ legs were severely injured when a bomb concealed in a parcel exploded at a cooking gas storage facility in Jerusalem’s Baka quarter. His legs were saved from amputation after nine hours of surgery. But his condition is still grave, it was reported. One of his hands was severed by the explosion. A former Vietnam War veteran, Hilmes was an undercover narcotics agent for the FBI before emigrating to Israel in 1973.

The bomb went off while it was being inspected by Hilmes. An Arab worker who first spotted the suspicious looking parcel was absolved from suspicion. Police said he alerted them and performed similar services in the past. The second explosion, under a bus near Jaffa Gate in the Old City, caused no injuries. Additional police and military personnel were sent to Jerusalem today as security measures were tightened.

The police are stressing the need for public vigilance to combat terrorist acts. Meanwhile, the newspaper Maariv sent reporters to investigate the gas storage depot. They reported that the area was a “no-man’s land” completely without security precautions. They reported that no guards were stationed at the gate and that the gate itself was rusty and unfit for use. The three gas distribution companies that share the site said they would station a guard there in the future. They claimed the expense prevented them from doing so earlier, according to Maariv.