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PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas. A source at the Palestinian Authority said it would "not be silent" about the attack and would pursue whoever planned the attack and "inflict the required punishment." (AP file photo)
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| By Israel Insider staff and partners February 26, 2005 |
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The IDF informed a Palestinian family that their son, a 21-year-old university student, was the suicide bomber who blew himself up at the entrance to a night club late Friday, killing four Israelis and wounding dozens.
The bomber was identified as Abdullah Badran. His relatives said he had no ties to militant groups nor held extreme views.
Badran is from the West Bank village of Deir al-Ghusun, near the town of Tulkarem, and Palestinian security officials said they were investigating whether local militants from the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades had recruited Badran on behalf of the Lebanese guerrilla group Hezbollah.
The army said troops had carried out an arrest raid and that a curfew had temporarily been imposed.
Troops arrested five people, including two of Badran's brothers, two of his friends and the local Muslim cleric, Palestinian officials said.
Israel earlier this month said it would no longer destroy the homes of suicide bombers -- a practice once common -- because a review by the army concluded it didn't deter attackers.
Al Aqsa, which consists of small squads of gunmen, has ties to the ruling Fatah Party of Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas. Most Al Aqsa cells have said they support an informal truce with Israel, but others who receive funding from Hezbollah have said they will keep trying to carry out attacks. Hezbollah has stepped up efforts in recent weeks to try to disrupt an informal Israeli-Palestinian truce.
Abdullah Badran's brother, Ibrahim, said the army informed the family that Abdullah was the Tel Aviv attacker.
Ibrahim Badran said his brother had been studying education at a local university and had never expressed extremist views. He said he could not believe his brother was a bomber. "Every one who knows Abdullah can't believe that he would do that," he said, adding that his brother was not affiliated with any militant group.
However, he said his Abdullah had left the family home at noon Friday and had not returned.
Palestinian officials said they had been tracking communications between Hezbollah and Al Aqsa militants in the northern West Bank in recent days.
In Beirut, a Hezbollah official declined involvement. "As far as we are concerned, there is no need to respond to such lies," the official said.
Police declared a high terror alert across the country and dispatched a helicopter to try and find the second suspect.
The Islamic Jihad and the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades initially claimed responsibility for the attack, but later denied any connection. Senior Palestinian Authority officials condemned the bombing and said they they accepted the denials of responsibility.
Despite denials, members of the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, Hamas, and Islamic Jihad reportedly fired in the air in celebration after hearing of the attack.
A Hamas spokesperson said his group is still committed to maintaining "quiet."
A source at the Palestinian Authority said it would "not be silent" about the attack and would pursue whoever planned the attack and "inflict the required punishment."
"The Palestinian Authority will not stand silent in the face of this act of sabotage. We will follow and track down those responsible and they will be punished accordingly," said a statement issued by Abbas.
"What happened tonight was an act of sabotage toward the peace process and an attempt to ruin the efforts to establish a state of calm," the statement said.
United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice demanded that Palestinian leaders find the culprits and "send a clear message that terror will not be tolerated."
In a written statement, two and a half weeks after her visited to the region, Rice condemned the bombing and extended her sympathies to the victims. "Terrorist attacks, such as today's bombing in Tel Aviv, not only kill innocent civilians, but also undermine the aspirations and hopes of the Palestinian people." Rice said.
"It is essential that Palestinian leaders take immediate, credible steps to find those responsible for this terrorist attack and bring them to justice," she added.
"We understand that the Palestinian leadership has condemned the attack. We now must see actions that send a clear message that terror will not be tolerated," she said.
The AP contributed to this report.
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