The Palestine Liberation Organization claimed responsibility tonight for the bomb explosion that killed one person and injured 42 others on crowded Ben Yehuda Street in downtown Jerusalem early this evening. The PLO made the claim in a broadcast from its radio station in Beirut.
The blast occurred at 6:45 p.m. local time. The dead person was not immediately identified Six victims were seriously injured, 17 sustained lesser injuries and the rest light injuries. Most of the victims were rushed to Shaare Zedek Hospital.
Ben Yehuda Street, a major shopping center, is a narrow thoroughfare. According to police the fatal explosive charge was concealed in the wheels of a bicycle parked in an area reserved for pedestrians and was apparently set to detonate at a time when it would cause maximum civilian casualties. Hundreds of customers were leaving the shops along the mall which close at 7 p.m. and other crowds were lining up for the first show at one of the many movie houses in the vicinity.
Many people raced to the area after the explosion to render assistance but succeeded only in blocking ambulances and other emergency vehicles rushing to the scene. Only a short while before the blast police were investigating a number of suspicious-looking objects on a side street about 50 feet away. After the explosion, police combed the area for additional explosives and found a second bomb which was safely dismantled by sappers.
An initial investigation showed that the terrorists placed the explosives inside the frame between the bicycle wheels. Most of the victims were hurt by parts of the frame which was shattered The bicycle was placed by the terrorists at the entrance to the Alno Coffee Shop shortly before the bomb went off.
A coffee shop employe spotted the bicycle about five minutes before the explosion. “Often people come here, place their bikes and come in and buy a piece of cake, or go to the bathroom,” he told reporters. “Usually every suspicious object that I spot, I check. This time I missed it.”
A similar sabotage technique was used four years ago on Jaffa Road in Jerusalem, about a half mile from the scene of tonight’s explosion. At that time, the bomb was placed in the frame of a baby carriage. Seven youths were killed.
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