Steve Hilmes, Member of Bomb Disposal Squad, Dies of Injuries from Explosion

Steve Hilmes, a 31-year-old American-born member of the Jerusalem bomb disposal squad, died yesterday morning of multiple injuries he sustained last Tuesday when an explosive device detonated at a propane gas storage depot here. He was buried today at the Mr. Herzl Police Cemetery. Interior Minister Yosef Burg and Hilmes’ mother, who flew in from Los Angeles Friday, were among the many attending the funeral services.

Burg said at the funeral: “You immigrated to Israel out of vision–nobody forced you to. You joined the police force out of your own desire–nobody forced you to. You volunteered to join the spearhead of the fight against the killers of children, women and the elderly. You volunteered because you wanted to, and they, the terrorists, defeated you. We shall remember you as an expression of the will of the people of Israel to live.”

Mordechai Baron, 48, manager of the gas storage facility who was also injured in the blast, was reported today to be improved and out of danger. The death of Hilmes was the first fatality in the recent wave of terrorist bombings that have placed the security services and the public on maximum alert in Jerusalem ant throughout Israel. The outrages are believed to be part of a calculated effort by terrorists to coincide with the Camp David summit conference.

Hilmes, a Vietnam War veteran and former FBI narcotics agent, who resided in Los Angeles before settling in Israel in 1973, joined the police where he quickly earned a reputation for courage and ability. He volunteered for the bomb squad last year. He was approaching a suspicious looking parcel at the gas storage depot last Tuesday when it exploded, nearly severing both legs and causing severe burns all over Hilmes’ body. Physicians amputated a shattered arm and gave Hilmes numerous blood transfusions but he died without regaining consciousness.

UPSURGE IN TERRORIST ACTIVITY

The upsurge of terrorist activity is causing serious concern. A senior police officer said today that the police and security forces “have definite information which points to Jerusalem as the central target for terrorist attacks which are again attempting to attack and terrorize innocent people.”

A terrorist device exploded yesterday afternoon in the central square of Ramallah, an Arab town on the West Bank near Jerusalem. On Friday evening a Molotov cocktail was thrown at an Israeli vehicle in the entertainment district of East Jerusalem. There were no injuries reported in either incident and only slight damage. A heavy explosion rocked downtown Jerusalem Thursday night but no one was hurt and damage was minor. Police said they were uncertain whether the device, which detonated in Zion Square, was placed there by terrorists or by criminal elements.

Acting Premier Yigael Yadin and Burg met with senior police officials here Friday to discuss the terrorist outbreak and also visited the bomb disposal unit at national police headquarters. The police have recently acquired some of the most modern equipment designed to improve bomb disposal methods and afford greater protection to sappers.

Burg noted later that 82 terrorist groups have been disbanded during the first eight months of 1978 compared to 67 during all of last year. He attributed the increase to more effective police methods. The Israeli public is also cooperating. Police report that they are receiving more than 200 calls a day reporting suspicious looking objects. Reports were received yesterday that a Katyusha rocket launcher was emplaced on the outskirts of Jerusalem to shell the city. Helicopters patrolling over the capital and its suburbs reported nothing suspicious, however.