Haifa car bomb: Olmert calls it a terror attack

Olmert: Haifa car bomb a terror attack for all intents and purposes


Prime minister says attack thwarted in northern city's mall Saturday evening may have originated in West Bank, 'where Hamas seeks to establish its infrastructure and status'. He warns of increased threats ahead of Passover, lauds citizen's alertness

Roni Sofer
Published: 03.22.09, 11:02 / Israel News

A grave disaster was prevented in Haifa's Lev Hamifratz Mall on Saturday evening, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said at the start of Sunday's cabinet meeting. "The terrorists tried to detonate a heavy demolition charge of dozens of kilograms of explosives, and fortunately if didn't explode," he said.

"As far as Israel is concerned, this was a terror attack for all intents and purposes," the prime minister added. "The citizens' alertness and the police and security forces' quick response prevented a grave disaster.


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"The State of Israel views this terror attack seriously. Initial investigations show that this was a terror infrastructure believed to be operating in the West Bank and aimed at causing a mass-casualty event," he noted.


"We mustn't kid ourselves. The attempted terror attacks in the State of Israel continued and continue, originating among other places in the West Bank, where Hamas seeks to establish its infrastructure and status. It seeks to do so by continuing on the road of terror and causing heavy damage to Israel's citizens," the prime minister added, expressing his appreciation for the security forces, the Shin Bet, the Israel Defense Forces and the Israel Police.


Defense Minister Ehud Barak said before the cabinet meeting that he was pleased that a combination of the citizens' alertness and a malfunction in the car bomb prevented a serious attack in Haifa.

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By Howard Schneider

Washington Post Foreign Service


Monday, March 23, 2009; Page A11

JERUSALEM, March 22 -- A 200-pound car bomb malfunctioned near a crowded mall in the Israeli port city of Haifa on Saturday night, averting what could have been one of the largest such attacks in Israel in the past several years, police said.

A bomb squad was called to the Lev Hamifratz shopping center after a small explosion, possibly a detonation charge, inside a Subaru in the mall's parking lot, according to police.

Police found what an official said were roughly 200 pounds of explosives that had failed to detonate. The amount was enough to have caused a devastating blast at a time when the popular mall was crowded following the end of the Jewish Sabbath. The device was packed with ball bearings, according to police. There were no reported arrests as of late Sunday night.

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I can't help but wonder why this wasn't this in the headlines at the following news services...

Fox, MSNBC, CBS, ABC, or even McClatchy