Kachol Levan
16-10-03, 12:37
Ze kunnen het wel. Als ze maar echt willen. In al die jaren van aanslagen is er niemand gearresteerd. Opeens als het amerikanen betreft (niet joden) dan worden de daders gearresteerd.
PA officials arrest three in connection with Gaza bombing
By Aluf Benn, Haaretz Correspondent, Haaretz Service and Agencies
Palestinian police arrested three members of the
militant Popular Resistance Committees early
Thursday in connection with the roadside bombing
in the Gaza Strip the day before that killed three
Americans, Palestinian Authority security
officials said.
A massive remote-controlled bomb
demolished an armor-plated jeep
in the convoy carrying U.S.
diplomatic personnel through
the northern Gaza Strip,
including a cultural envoy from
the U.S. embassy, on their way
to interview potential
Palestinian students who were
candidates for an academic
Fulbright scholarship. One other American was
wounded.
The group consists largely of former Palestinian
security officials and disgruntled members of
PA Chairman Yasser Arafat's Fatah movement, the
security officials said.
The three were arrested in the Jabalya refugee
camp, near the site of the attack. One of the
detainees was identified as Ahmed Saker, 25.
Two more members of the group were being sought,
the sources said. The group denied any role in
the U.S. convoy bombing.
"Yesterday, a few hours after the bombing...
Palestinian security forces detained three
people as part of the investigation conducted
by the Palestinian Authority into the
incident," a security official told Reuters in
Gaza.
A leader of the Popular Resistance Committees
confirmed the arrested men were members, but
said: "We made clear to the Palestinian
Authority we had nothing to do with the
bombing. We were stunned by the unjustified
arrests."
Palestinian witnesses said that when Palestinian
police came to Block 8 of Jabalya to make
arrests, a gun fight erupted. There were no
reports of injuries.
Sources in Israel and in the PA had speculated
whether the Fatah splinter group was behind the
attack.
PA security officials: We warned U.S.
Senior PA security officials claimed Wednesday
that they had repeatedly warned U.S. officials
in the past months to change travel routines in
the territories, in order to avoid such an
attack.
The PA security officials said they warned
Americans that routine movements in GMC
vehicles that have diplomatic license plates
and conspicuous bodyguards could be dangerous.
Members of militant Palestinian opposition
groups could be collecting information about
routine movements of the U.S. vehicles and
personnel, the PA officials cautioned.
The officials said that they formulated such
warnings in very specific terms and relayed
them on a number of occasions, as in the case
of a meeting held three months ago with CIA
personnel in the West Bank city of Ramallah.
Meanwhile, a team of FBI officials is expected
to arrive in Israel on Thursday to carry out an
investigation into the attack.
U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft described
the delegation as a "fly-away team" consisting
of investigators and forensic experts. FBI
officials said it would be a cooperative probe
involving Israel's police force.
The FBI agents do not intend to go into Gaza
immediately. Instead, they will rely on Israel
to collect and preserve evidence, with the FBI
doing the detailed examinations of what is
found, the officials said.
It was established Wednesday that American
personnel who coordinate the movements of U.S.
officials in the territories communicate travel
plans in advance to PA security officials,
sending the detailed information by fax or
telephone. Such reports spell out the names of
persons who are taking part in work trips in
the territories, the times when U.S. vehicles
are to be moving through various areas, and the
routes to be taken by the cars.
In view of this practice of relaying advance
information, some analysts speculated Wednesday
that the terrorists who perpetrated the attack
had advance knowledge of the U.S. convoy's
intention to cross into the village of Beit
Hanun.
At least a portion of the information attained
by the terrorists, the analysts hypothesized,
came from official PA sources.
The U.S. named the three victims of the first
deadly attack on American officials since the
start of the intifada as John Branchizio, 37,
from Texas; Mark Parson, 31, from New York; and
John Martin Linde, 30, from Missouri. The three
were on contract to the U.S. embassy in Tel
Aviv through the defense contracting company
Dyncorp, State Department spokesman Richard
Boucher said.
Bush: Terror compromises Palestinian statehood
U.S. President George W. Bush blamed Palestinian
authorities Wednesday for the deaths, saying
their failure to create security forces to
combat terrorism "continues to cost lives."
"Palestinian authorities should have acted long
ago to fight terror in all its forms," said the
president in a written statement. "There must
be an empowered prime minister who controls all
Palestinian forces - reforms that continue to
be blocked by Yasser Arafat."
"The failure to undertake these reforms and
dismantle the terrorist organizations
constitutes the greatest obstacle to achieving
the Palestinian people's dream of statehood,"
Bush said.
The European Union also took the Palestinians to
task, with the body's foreign policy chief
Javier Solana telling Arafat that
"condemnations and excuses will not do."
Arafat vowed to track down those responsible for
the attack, which he called a "dirty and
shameful" act.
Both Islamic Jihad and Hamas denied
responsibility for the attack, and there was no
immediate claim of responsibility for the
incident. Three months ago, a roadside bomb was
detonated beside an American convoy traveling
in the same area, but without injury.
The blast went off around 10:15 A.M. Wednesday
as the convoy drove near a gas station on the
outskirts of the town of Beit Lahiya in the
northern Gaza Strip, along the main north-south
road.
Witnesses at the scene said a silver Cherokee
jeep used by American diplomats was completely
destroyed by the blast. Parts of the vehicle
were strewn in a 30-meter radius around a
crater created by the explosion.
The explosion tore the car in half and left the
wreckage twisted with the tires up in the air.
An AP reporter saw a gray wire with an on-off
switch leading from the scene of the attack to
a small concrete room at the side of the road.
Soon after the blast, the IDF sent tanks and
armored vehicles under cover of a helicopter
gunship into the areas of Beit Hanoun and Beit
Lehiya to aid the Americans in evacuating the
wounded man and the bodies of the victims.
An IDF rescue helicopter evacuated the wounded
man to Soroka Hospital in Be'er Sheva.
U.S. investigators stoned by Palestinian youths
Later in the day, American security officials
investigating the bomb attack left the scene
abruptly after Palestinian youths threw stones
and rocks at them. The investigators were
taking pictures of the bloodied, twisted
remains of the van when some six children threw
stones and rocks at them, while several hundred
Palestinians looked on.
Palestinian police fired in the air to chase
away the stone throwers, and U.S. officials
rushed back their cars and sped off.
Palestinian police beat some people in the
crowd, while pushing the spectators back.
The IDF said the targeted jeep was the middle
vehicle of the convoy, which carried security
men and CIA personnel. A Palestinian security
van had preceded the convoy's three
armor-plated vehicles.
But the CIA spokesman in Washington, Bill
Harlow, refuted the reports that CIA officials
were in the convoy, saying that no members of
the organization were involved.
The American embassy in Tel Aviv said that
contrary to initial reports, U.S. special
Middle East envoy John Wolf was not in the
convoy. Wolf is responsible for monitoring
compliance with the road map peace plan.
Palestinian taxi driver Mohammed Radwan said he
was at a nearby gas station when the blast went
off.
"I was about to fill up my car with gas when I
saw the American convoy passing," Radwan said.
"There was a Palestinian police car in front
and then three big cars. When the third one
passed, an explosion went off."
"The first two cars drove quickly and stopped
far form the explosion. Palestinian security
people jumped out of the car and rushed to the
car that had blown up. When I tried to approach
them, they shouted at me to leave. I saw two
people covered with blood lying next to the
car."
PA officials arrest three in connection with Gaza bombing
By Aluf Benn, Haaretz Correspondent, Haaretz Service and Agencies
Palestinian police arrested three members of the
militant Popular Resistance Committees early
Thursday in connection with the roadside bombing
in the Gaza Strip the day before that killed three
Americans, Palestinian Authority security
officials said.
A massive remote-controlled bomb
demolished an armor-plated jeep
in the convoy carrying U.S.
diplomatic personnel through
the northern Gaza Strip,
including a cultural envoy from
the U.S. embassy, on their way
to interview potential
Palestinian students who were
candidates for an academic
Fulbright scholarship. One other American was
wounded.
The group consists largely of former Palestinian
security officials and disgruntled members of
PA Chairman Yasser Arafat's Fatah movement, the
security officials said.
The three were arrested in the Jabalya refugee
camp, near the site of the attack. One of the
detainees was identified as Ahmed Saker, 25.
Two more members of the group were being sought,
the sources said. The group denied any role in
the U.S. convoy bombing.
"Yesterday, a few hours after the bombing...
Palestinian security forces detained three
people as part of the investigation conducted
by the Palestinian Authority into the
incident," a security official told Reuters in
Gaza.
A leader of the Popular Resistance Committees
confirmed the arrested men were members, but
said: "We made clear to the Palestinian
Authority we had nothing to do with the
bombing. We were stunned by the unjustified
arrests."
Palestinian witnesses said that when Palestinian
police came to Block 8 of Jabalya to make
arrests, a gun fight erupted. There were no
reports of injuries.
Sources in Israel and in the PA had speculated
whether the Fatah splinter group was behind the
attack.
PA security officials: We warned U.S.
Senior PA security officials claimed Wednesday
that they had repeatedly warned U.S. officials
in the past months to change travel routines in
the territories, in order to avoid such an
attack.
The PA security officials said they warned
Americans that routine movements in GMC
vehicles that have diplomatic license plates
and conspicuous bodyguards could be dangerous.
Members of militant Palestinian opposition
groups could be collecting information about
routine movements of the U.S. vehicles and
personnel, the PA officials cautioned.
The officials said that they formulated such
warnings in very specific terms and relayed
them on a number of occasions, as in the case
of a meeting held three months ago with CIA
personnel in the West Bank city of Ramallah.
Meanwhile, a team of FBI officials is expected
to arrive in Israel on Thursday to carry out an
investigation into the attack.
U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft described
the delegation as a "fly-away team" consisting
of investigators and forensic experts. FBI
officials said it would be a cooperative probe
involving Israel's police force.
The FBI agents do not intend to go into Gaza
immediately. Instead, they will rely on Israel
to collect and preserve evidence, with the FBI
doing the detailed examinations of what is
found, the officials said.
It was established Wednesday that American
personnel who coordinate the movements of U.S.
officials in the territories communicate travel
plans in advance to PA security officials,
sending the detailed information by fax or
telephone. Such reports spell out the names of
persons who are taking part in work trips in
the territories, the times when U.S. vehicles
are to be moving through various areas, and the
routes to be taken by the cars.
In view of this practice of relaying advance
information, some analysts speculated Wednesday
that the terrorists who perpetrated the attack
had advance knowledge of the U.S. convoy's
intention to cross into the village of Beit
Hanun.
At least a portion of the information attained
by the terrorists, the analysts hypothesized,
came from official PA sources.
The U.S. named the three victims of the first
deadly attack on American officials since the
start of the intifada as John Branchizio, 37,
from Texas; Mark Parson, 31, from New York; and
John Martin Linde, 30, from Missouri. The three
were on contract to the U.S. embassy in Tel
Aviv through the defense contracting company
Dyncorp, State Department spokesman Richard
Boucher said.
Bush: Terror compromises Palestinian statehood
U.S. President George W. Bush blamed Palestinian
authorities Wednesday for the deaths, saying
their failure to create security forces to
combat terrorism "continues to cost lives."
"Palestinian authorities should have acted long
ago to fight terror in all its forms," said the
president in a written statement. "There must
be an empowered prime minister who controls all
Palestinian forces - reforms that continue to
be blocked by Yasser Arafat."
"The failure to undertake these reforms and
dismantle the terrorist organizations
constitutes the greatest obstacle to achieving
the Palestinian people's dream of statehood,"
Bush said.
The European Union also took the Palestinians to
task, with the body's foreign policy chief
Javier Solana telling Arafat that
"condemnations and excuses will not do."
Arafat vowed to track down those responsible for
the attack, which he called a "dirty and
shameful" act.
Both Islamic Jihad and Hamas denied
responsibility for the attack, and there was no
immediate claim of responsibility for the
incident. Three months ago, a roadside bomb was
detonated beside an American convoy traveling
in the same area, but without injury.
The blast went off around 10:15 A.M. Wednesday
as the convoy drove near a gas station on the
outskirts of the town of Beit Lahiya in the
northern Gaza Strip, along the main north-south
road.
Witnesses at the scene said a silver Cherokee
jeep used by American diplomats was completely
destroyed by the blast. Parts of the vehicle
were strewn in a 30-meter radius around a
crater created by the explosion.
The explosion tore the car in half and left the
wreckage twisted with the tires up in the air.
An AP reporter saw a gray wire with an on-off
switch leading from the scene of the attack to
a small concrete room at the side of the road.
Soon after the blast, the IDF sent tanks and
armored vehicles under cover of a helicopter
gunship into the areas of Beit Hanoun and Beit
Lehiya to aid the Americans in evacuating the
wounded man and the bodies of the victims.
An IDF rescue helicopter evacuated the wounded
man to Soroka Hospital in Be'er Sheva.
U.S. investigators stoned by Palestinian youths
Later in the day, American security officials
investigating the bomb attack left the scene
abruptly after Palestinian youths threw stones
and rocks at them. The investigators were
taking pictures of the bloodied, twisted
remains of the van when some six children threw
stones and rocks at them, while several hundred
Palestinians looked on.
Palestinian police fired in the air to chase
away the stone throwers, and U.S. officials
rushed back their cars and sped off.
Palestinian police beat some people in the
crowd, while pushing the spectators back.
The IDF said the targeted jeep was the middle
vehicle of the convoy, which carried security
men and CIA personnel. A Palestinian security
van had preceded the convoy's three
armor-plated vehicles.
But the CIA spokesman in Washington, Bill
Harlow, refuted the reports that CIA officials
were in the convoy, saying that no members of
the organization were involved.
The American embassy in Tel Aviv said that
contrary to initial reports, U.S. special
Middle East envoy John Wolf was not in the
convoy. Wolf is responsible for monitoring
compliance with the road map peace plan.
Palestinian taxi driver Mohammed Radwan said he
was at a nearby gas station when the blast went
off.
"I was about to fill up my car with gas when I
saw the American convoy passing," Radwan said.
"There was a Palestinian police car in front
and then three big cars. When the third one
passed, an explosion went off."
"The first two cars drove quickly and stopped
far form the explosion. Palestinian security
people jumped out of the car and rushed to the
car that had blown up. When I tried to approach
them, they shouted at me to leave. I saw two
people covered with blood lying next to the
car."