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Last update - 22:43 22/03/2009
After Haifa bomb bid, Olmert says Hamas looking to attack from West Bank
By Barak Ravid and Fadi Edayat, Haaretz Correspondents
Tags: explosive device 

Outgoing Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said on Sunday that a 'miracle' had prevented a huge bomb attack from taking place on the preceding day in the northern city of Haifa.

The prime minister also said Hamas was seeking to establish itself in the West Bank and to launch terror attacks from there against Israel.

"We are treating the attempted attack in Haifa with great gravity. A huge disaster was prevented by a miracle," said Olmert, speaking at the start of the weekly cabinet meeting.


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Late Saturday, police sappers disarmed a bomb in a car outside the coastal city's Lev Hamifratz shopping mall, thwarting a potential terror attack. In the wake of the attempted bombing, police declared on Sunday a high alert across Israel.

"We won't pass over this onto today's agenda," Olmert added. "The security forces are already operating on the matter. This was a terror attack for all intents and purposes."

"We shouldn't delude ourselves - attempts at terror attacks have continued and will continue," he said.

After the bomb was disarmed, security forces set up roadblocks, searching cars for suspects and forcing traffic in the area to a near standstill.

Police said the car holding the explosive, which weighed dozens of kilograms, belonged to an Arab woman from East Jerusalem. But they added it might have been stolen and that they had no prior intelligence on the vehicle.

An Israeli Arab organization calling itself the Galilee Freedom Fighters claimed responsibility, but security forces doubted the claim, saying they were unfamiliar with a group of that name currently operating in Israel.

In a message, the group said that the attack was meant as a response to the destruction of homes in East Jerusalem and the Israeli "massacre" in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

The commander of the police's Northern District, Shimon Koren, said after the event that "we are conducting a search for a terrorist, if it is indeed a terrorist. We are searching the entire area from Haifa to Acre and Nahariya."

Security forces were called to the parking lot after the mall's security guards heard a small explosion coming from the direction of a Subaru parked in a parking lot adjacent to the shopping center at around 8 P.M. on Saturday. Sappers said part of the device had gone off prematurely and another had failed to detonate.

"It's important to note that the car was parked in the outer car park and not underground, which means it was not checked by mall security," a police officer said.

Tatiana Daminovitch, an eye witness, said "at first the shoppers were nonchalant, some of them thought that it was a drill, and therefore the evacuation was delayed a bit."

The commander of the Coastal District said following the incident that the police, together with the shopping center's management, will examine the security protocols relating to the security of the mall. "We will assess the situation in this mall and in additional malls in order to gain insight into how to better secure them in the future. Without a doubt this was a large bomb that could have cost a lot of lives and damage," he said.

Police Spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said the authorities were still investigating the incident, but they believe Palestinian militants were behind the attempted bombing. He declined to give additional details, citing a gag order on the case.

Five years ago two Israeli Arabs who claimed to be members of a group called Galilee Freedom Fighters were convicted of murdering Israel Defense Forces soldier Oleg Shaichat. But security forces now believe that organization is defunct.


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    • Bookmark to del.icio.us  
     
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      1.   Not the usual MO 22:54  |  Baruch Gold 21/03/09
      2.   Must be from poor downtrodden peaceful Arabs 23:10  |  GZLives 21/03/09
      3.   This is not a terrorist attack 23:33  |  ottomatik 21/03/09
      4.   business as usual they bomb with excuse and we cry and complain 23:53  |  no wimp 21/03/09
      5.   To Swiss Dino 00:17  |  Haifa 22/03/09
      6.   Galilee freedom brigade 00:20  |  Arie 22/03/09
      7.   What a "little known Israeli Arab organization" is 01:00  |  UsedToPostHere 22/03/09
      8.   Just another `day at the office` for the people from that... 01:11  |  flyingdoc57 22/03/09
      9.   gate keepers 01:15  |  roland 22/03/09
      10.   unbelievers 01:26  |  roland 22/03/09
      11.   Good Job Police! 01:30  |  David LG 22/03/09
      12.   Back to the same old thing! 01:45  |  D 22/03/09
      13.   And where`s the outrage? 01:58  |  Nechama 22/03/09
      14.   well done police sappers 02:11  |  Bless the lord 22/03/09
      15.   Action+Reaction, Ghandi said it best 02:25  |  Muslim 22/03/09
      16.   " Israeli Arab organization " Ready to cause hundreds of deaths 02:40  |  PETER SM 22/03/09
      17.   Peaceful Muslims would be great change. 03:28  |  Understanding Person 22/03/09
      18.   This is why Israel needs a right wing Govt. 03:41  |  Rabbi Yakov Lazaros 22/03/09
      19.   re: Muslim 03:59  |  UsedToPostHere 22/03/09
      20.   Police foil terror attach at Haifa 04:22  |  Gari 22/03/09
      21.   Response to understanding person 04:40  |  Muslim 22/03/09
      22.   to 6 04:53  |  Sari 22/03/09
      23.   But bombing civilians shoping is is not a war crime ????????????? 05:05  |  Al 22/03/09
      24.   re: UsedToPostHere 05:11  |  Muslim 22/03/09
      25.   How convenient 06:10  |  Al 22/03/09
      26.   re: Muslim 06:30  |  The other side 22/03/09
      27.   The Oslo peace process didn?t have any chance to bring peace. 07:34  |  Jean Van Daem 22/03/09
      28.   To TEN - Muslim 07:41  |  Khaled 22/03/09
      29.   The most moral terrorists in the world 07:41  |  Dan 22/03/09
      30.   innocent college boys 07:44  |  roland 22/03/09
      31.   Israeli made 07:48  |  David 22/03/09
      32.   The Outrage? 08:13  |  Palestinian Brit 22/03/09
      33.   Terror attack foiled 08:38  |  DT 22/03/09
      34.   LOL Bad news for construction firms! 09:03  |  Yorgos 22/03/09
      35.   Shin Beit responsible 09:27  |  Asa`d 22/03/09
      36.   I think there is more to this story than meets the eyes.... 09:53  |  JustMe 22/03/09
      37.   it is a miracle the bomb failed 10:28  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 22/03/09
      38.   Muslim when will you learn? 10:52  |  Aby 22/03/09
      39.   Dear Moslem (#13) 10:52  |  Gil 22/03/09
      40.   Dear Moslem (#13) 10:53  |  Gil 22/03/09
      41.   Muslim what do you want 10:54  |  Aby 22/03/09
      42.   response to gil (#38) 11:23  |  Palestinian 22/03/09
      43.   Anyone seen George Galloway recently? 11:29  |  H 22/03/09
      44.   Just another Shin Bet trick. 12:13  |  Andreas 22/03/09
      45.   This is another GOOD reason NOT to do a swap for Shalit! 12:22  |  Alan SA 22/03/09
      46.   A fake? 12:37  |  fritz t. 22/03/09
      47.   news 12:41  |  Paul 22/03/09
      48.   Sounds like something that 13:26  |  Chris Linthwaite 22/03/09
      49.   to Palestinian 13:30  |  Daniela 22/03/09
      50.   No difference to IDF 13:50  |  N 22/03/09
      51.   A black operation 14:02  |  Chris Linthwaite 22/03/09
      52.   I wonder if it`s a provocation? 14:04  |  Colin Wright 22/03/09
      53.   Incredulous Fritz 14:09  |  Linichka 22/03/09
      54.   Good going 14:18  |  Baruch Gold 22/03/09
      55.   Arming the wolves and tigers 14:41  |  Brod 22/03/09
      56.   To: Alan SA 14:46  |  Dave 22/03/09
      57.   UK of course someone set it up but didn`t get to carry out this 14:56  |  lily 22/03/09
      58.   If the plot originated on the West Bank 15:14  |  Chris Linthwaite 22/03/09
      59.   Praise God this was foiled 15:18  |  R 22/03/09
      60.   No outrage ?? 15:20  |  Nu BBC 22/03/09
      61.   Isn;t it convenient? 15:42  |  Maria 22/03/09
      62.   Al: yes, bombing civilians is a war crime. 15:49  |  AT 22/03/09
      63.   bombing civilians 16:31  |  Eric 22/03/09
      64.   to Muslim 16:57  |  Lola 22/03/09
      65.   re: Muslim 16:59  |  UsedToPostHere 22/03/09
      66.   to Sari 17:02  |  Lola 22/03/09
      67.   Galloway 17:24  |  Jeff Jarrett 22/03/09
      68.   Haifa Bomb 17:29  |  Jeff Jarrett 22/03/09
      69.   #13 Where`s the outrage 17:37  |  Penny 22/03/09
      70.   Dear Palestinian (#42) 17:56  |  Gil 22/03/09
      71.   "Palestinian": A history lesson 18:04  |  Christopher 22/03/09
      72.   N 18:05  |  Brad 22/03/09
      73.   To 21 Muslim 18:32  |  Proud Israeli 22/03/09
      74.   re: Eric 18:34  |  UsedToPostHere 22/03/09
      75.   #53 Linichka: Exactly, Haifa It has a Large Arab population. Why 18:42  |  JustMe 22/03/09
      76.   To Lola, Used to post here, Proud Israeli, etc 18:50  |  Muslim 22/03/09
      77.   Don`t Jump The Gun, Olmert, That`s Nasrallah`s Thing 19:51  |  Jeff Northridge 22/03/09
      78.   #73 proximity 20:09  |  Lola 22/03/09
      79.   A Combination Of A "Miracle" And An Amazing Coincidence. 20:31  |  chet 22/03/09
      80.   Haifa as a mixed city 22:10  |  Forrest Schmidt 22/03/09
      81.   re: Muslim 02:07  |  UsedToPostHere 23/03/09
      82.   CHET The frequency of actual & attempted Arab terror attacks 07:29  |  PETER SM 23/03/09
      83.   JustMe (JustYou) #75 07:53  |  Gil 23/03/09
      84.   FOR #82 PSM - Please Note All Official Discussion has Stopped 00:48  |  chet 24/03/09
      85.   Maybe this was not arabs. 20:24  |  Sakrayami 29/03/09
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