Five persons were injured, none seriously, when an explosive-filled bottle detonated in the Mahane Yehuda market place in central Jerusalem this morning. One woman, Mrs.Sarah Mizrachi, 44, was admitted to Sharel Zedek Hospital with burns but her condition was described as not serious.
The four others were treated at the hospital for minor, injuries and discharged. They were Cindy Louis, 11, of Akron, Ohio; Mrs. Yaffa Allegro, 50; Mrs. Esther Metzger and Rafael Dahovi, all of Jerusalem. The American girl was treated for a cut knee.
The explosion occurred at 10:17 a.m. local time when the narrow alleys of the market were crowded with pre-Sabbath shoppers. The explosive device went off in a plastic basket near a pickle stand. The stand was shattered and smoke and fumes filled the area but no panic ensued. Police and ambulances arrived within minutes. Police sealed off the market and began a search for the perpetrators.
Police Minister Shlomo Hillel, who arrived on the scene shortly after the blast, said he didn’t think the incident marked an upsurge of terrorist activity. According to Hillel the perpetrators were less intent on causing injuries and damage than on disrupting peaceful co-existence between Jews and Arabs in Jerusalem.
The Mahane Yehuda market was the scene of a major disaster on Nov. 22,1968, when an explosive-laden parked car blew up killing 12 people and injuring 53. The terrorists responsible were subsequently caught and are serving long prison terms.
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