On this page:

Security sources: Tanzim intended to detonate explosives. Twelve-Year Old Carrying Bag With Bomb Stopped at IDF Checkpoint.

Security sources: Tanzim intended to detonate explosives (17.3.04)

By Arnon Regular and Yuval Yoaz, Haaretz Correspondents

The Tanzim militant group intended to detonate by remote control an explosive belt carried by a 10-year-old Palestinian boy after he was caught Monday by Israel Defense Forces soldiers, Israeli security sources believe.

The boy was aprehended while trying to pass a Nablus checkpoint with bags containing the explosives. "Ten-year-old Abdullah works at the checkpoint transporting luggage from one side to the other," the officer, who identified himself only as Lieutenant-Colonel Guy, told Reuters. "[Someone] asked him to carry through a bag...and left," the officer said. "[The boy] just wanted to make money. We will release him. He's just a poor kid."

The boy said he was offered a large sum of money to transfer the bags, and he was released after it became clear that he was not aware that the bags he was carrying contained explosives.

The officer said a military policewoman at the checkpoint spotted wires protruding from the bag and stopped Abdullah. "The policewoman prevented a suicide attack [in Israel]," the colonel said. He said the explosive belt was also packed with nuts and bolts, which militants use to make bombs deadlier. It was also connected to a cellular telephone.

Army demolition experts detonated the device in a controlled blast. The colonel said the device contained seven to 10 kilograms of explosives.

Twelve-Year Old Carrying Bag With Bomb Stopped at IDF Checkpoint (16.3.04)

IDF Website

IDF soldiers thwarted an attempted terrorist attack today, following an alert by the GSS that a terrorist attack was going to emanate from Nablus, stopping a 12-year old Palestinian boy who was carrying a bag containing explosives.

The soldiers stopped to check the youth who transported goods through the checkpoint. He earned money transporting bags at the checkpoint and in this case aroused suspicion amongst the soldiers. Tanzim operators from the city Nablus took advantage of the innocent appearance of the boy and used him, without his knowledge, to transport an explosive device across the checkpoint. The youth was briefly interrogated and subsequently released.

The device, which was concealed in the bag, with wires protruding from it, contained a large amount of explosive material as well as pieces of metal. Border Police sappers, who arrived at the checkpoint, detonated the device in a controlled manner. The information leads to the conclusion that terrorists planned to activate the explosive device against the soldiers by use of a cellular telephone as the youth was passing through the checkpoint; namely to use the youth as a homicide bomber, without his knowledge. The thwarted terrorist attack was directed by a Tanzim terrorist in Nablus.

It should be noted that this type of activity seriously harms innocent Palestinian population which passes through checkpoints on a daily basis and is evidence of the need for conducting checks at checkpoints. The thwarting of the terrorist attack, reemphasizes the way in which terrorist organizations abuse Palestinian children and youth who are able to pass easily, and without suspicion in crowded areas.

Since the beginning of the violence in 2000, 29 suicide attacks were carried out by youth under the age of 18.

Since May 2001, 22 shootings attacks and attacks using explosive devices were carried out by youth under the age of 18.

Since the beginning of 2001, more than 40 youth under the age of 18 were involved in attempted suicide bombings that were thwarted (of them, three during 2004).

Link & Sources:

Israeli Defence Forces (English)