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Suspected Terrorists Held

January 3, 1979
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Several youths were detained here this morning on suspicion of membership in a terrorist organization. The arrests were made after a blast in an apartment building in Isawiya village near Jerusalem killed two young men who were allegedly preparing explosive devices for terrorist attacks in Jerusalem.

The dead men were identified as Abed Kashur and Abed Shakur, Kashur’s wife of 10 days was slightly injured when the explosives detonated accidentally at 10:30 p.m. last night. Her husband and his companion were killed instantly by the force of the explosion that dismembered their bodies.

Police rushed to the scene after neighbors reported a “gas explosion” in the new building that contained five flats. Evidence indicating the true nature of the blast promoted an immediate search for terrorist collaborators which led to the arrest of the suspects this morning. Police said the accidental detonation probably spared Jerusalem a major sabotage attempt.

In an unrelated incident, police found a bomb near a Beersheba movie theater. It was removed and safely dismantled. Meanwhile, a Palestine Liberation Organization call for a general strike on the West Bank went unheeded. Merchants kept their shops open and school children, studying for mid-term examinations, attended classes.

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