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| By Israel Insider staff and partners February 26, 2005 |
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| Police officer inspects the bloody scene. (AP) |
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At 11:22 a suicide bomber exploded at the entrance to the Stage singing club on the crowded Tel Aviv boardwalk, at the corner of Jonah the Prophet street, where young people were waiting to go in or sitting at a nearby shwarma place. There are initial reports of 4 dead, 50 wounded, most moderate to light. Four are critical, seven serious. 4 security guards prevented the bomber from entering.
There are reports of two suspicious characters reported before the explosion, who rushed towards the entrance to the "Stage," and a fleeing car that the police pursued.
There continue to be reports of a second bomber at large, but police will not confirm.
Police report that the bomb was a relatively large one, 8-9 kg (20 pounds) packed with nails and metal shards to maximize the lethality.
The area around the site of the blast was completely devastated. Two cars were destroyed, windows blows out, street signs broken. One said that the next-door kiosk was almost completely destroyed.
Among the wounded was a man who had been in two previous terror attacks.
Another couple was searching a hospital for comrades in his reserves unit who had gone to the Stage to celebrate the birthday of one of the members of the unit. No one in his unit had been hurt in their active IDF service but almost all members of the group were wounded in tonight's Tel Aviv attack.
Channel 10 reports, quoting a senior Palestinian source, that Islamic Jihad was responsible for the attack, with assistance from Hamas. Reuters reported a claim of credit from Islamic Jihad, which complained of recent arrests as a cause for the bombing.
But AFP received a claim of credit from the Al-Aksa Martyrs' Brigade of Fatah, the terror group of PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas.
Channel Saliman a-Shafi later said that all of the above terror groups denied any connection with the attack and said they still adhered to the "quiet."
It was the first major attack since the Sharm el-Sheikh summit announced an informal ceasefire.
But Roni Daniel of Channel Two reports that 10 suicide bombers have been apprehended in this period.
There are preliminary suspicions that the bomber came from Tulkarm, which the Sharon government planned to hand over to the PA in the coming days.
The location and method resembled previous Tel Aviv attacks on a club at the Dolphinarium (200 meters south) in 2001 and Mike's Place (100 meters north) in 2003.
Saeb Erekat, the chief Palestinian peace negotiator, condemned the attack "in the strongest possible terms."
"Whoever is behind it is seriously attempting to sabotage all efforts being exerted to revive the peace process and should not be allowed to succeed," he said.
Sharon spokesman Raanan Gissin said that from Israel's perspective, the Sharm understandings were still in effect. But Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz said he would hold an emergency briefing on Saturday.
Sharon himself was spending the Sabbath at his Sycamore Ranch in southern Israel.
The Prime Minister's office issued a statement saying that "without a war on terror" by the Palestinian Authority, there could be "no progress on the peace process,"
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