Small bombs exploded in Haifa and Afula today without causing casualties. But a major tragedy was averted in Bet Shean where an explosive device of considerable size was found in an Egged bus and safely defused by police sappers.
The Haifa bomb detonated near the District Court building in the Hadar HaCarmel section where the trial of four Arabs accused of murdering an Israeli woman several months ago is underway. It was the third bomb explosion in Haifa in recent weeks.
The Afula bomb was the eighth to explode in the Jezreel Valley town in the past few months. It was hidden in shrubbery behind the central bus terminal. Local residents said there has been an average of one bomb blast every three weeks in the last 5-6 months.
In Bet Shean, a cleaning worker at the bus station noticed a suspicious looking package left behind in a bus which had just arrived from Jerusalem. He called the police bomb squad which disposed of the device. The bus follows a route from Jerusalem through the West Bank and Jordan Valley to Bet Shean. The bomb is believed to have been planted by one of the many Arab passengers who got on and off at the various stops.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
