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CNN Live Today

Tel Aviv Bombing Rocks Peace Process

Aired May 08, 2002 - 10:09   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: In the meantime, we turn to the Middle East and a suicide bombing felt all the way to the White House. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon cut short his visit to the U.S. when told of the attack that killed 15 people in the Israel coastal town of Rishon Letzion. Dozens more were injured.

CNN's Carol Lin joins us now from the billiard hall where the bomber struck last night -- hello, Carol.

CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Hi, Leon.

Yes, we are at the scene. It is about 15 miles south of the city of Tel Aviv. And as we understand it, the defense minister is consulting with the army today. The Israeli Cabinet is going to be meeting as to what the appropriate response to this latest scene would be.

We are going to take you upstairs right now, so that you can see. What's really significant about this is that it took place on the third story. It's very unusual for a suicide bombing attack to take place on a higher floor, because it is just more difficult to access.

The reason why we are down here now is because they evacuated the building inside. We were going live inside earlier, but they evacuated the building, because they say that structurally it is no longer sound. And that they expect that the ceiling may collapse on that space at any moment.

But earlier today, we were reporting live, and I want to show you what it was like to be there.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

LIN: At the center of that room, where there is a cluster of people and a gold light stand that fell from the ceiling, that is literally where the suicide bomber detonated his explosive. And what we are told by some of the people on the scene is that he walked up three flights of stairs into this billiard pool hall, a gambling parlor essentially. He walked straight into the middle of the room, which is where you are looking right now, and he opened up a suitcase which triggered a massive explosion. People on the scene are telling me that there may have been as much as 10 to 15 kilograms of explosive material inside that suitcase. I am told that is considered massive.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

And what was significant about this, Leon, it being on the third floor, as I mentioned. What apparently he did is he made it up three flights of stairs. The reason why this gambling parlor did not have security is because most of the patrons know one another, which means if he made it all the way up those stairs to the center of the room, was able to open the suitcase and have that opportunity for this kind of destruction, it is because the other patrons had a sense of trust, that they knew him by face, which meant that this had to have been planned out over a period of time. That he had to be someone who was a regular.

Leon, just to give you an idea of the kind of destruction we were talking about, you saw the scene itself, but take a look at this. This is actually some of the metal lug nuts, the bolts that investigators found inside the scene. That suitcase, in addition to the explosive material, was packed with these, if not hundreds of these. They shot out like flying bullets piercing even metal. Look at this. This is some of the damage from the scene. Imagine if this was a human body.

Fifteen people died upstairs, 60 people wounded. Some of those people are still clinging to life.

This morning, we were hearing stories, tragic stories of two children, for example, who lost both their parents who were out on a night out on the town last night, a cook, a beloved cook from a local boarding school, and also an amazing story of survival. A young man, one of the managers in this club, who survived simply because the blast overturned one of the pool tables protecting him from these flying bolts and the glass. And he lived to tell the tale to his father, whom I spoke to on the telephone this morning -- Leon.

HARRIS: Well, Carol, as you may know, I am sure you do know this after you have been covering the story all morning, there has been a statement issued by the Palestinian Authority condemning this attack. What is the response to that announcement by the Palestinian Authority that you have seen and heard from the points in which you have actually spent some time there in Israel so far this morning?

LIN: I am glad you asked that, Leon, because it's really interesting. When you talk to Israelis, you hear two things. No. 1, what is your reaction to the Palestinian Authority saying that they condemn this attack in the strongest words possible? They say, Yasser Arafat has no credibility with these people. But at the same time, they say that they still believe in peace with the Palestinians. That one day that they have to, at least the people, I am serious, that I've talked to over the last couple of weeks have told me, it is inevitable that the Palestinians will have a state. But they no longer believe that Yasser Arafat is the man to be heading that effort. They are saying that he is directly behind these suicide attacks.

So you are hearing two levels, the desire, the deep desire to have peace with the Palestinians, and the complete mistrust of Yasser Arafat, whom these Israelis, the Israelis I spoke to, believe somehow has to be behind these terror strikes.

HARRIS: And you can only wonder how much longer that little bit of hope can actually hold out. Carol Lin reporting live for us -- we thank you very much, Carol.

LIN: Yes.

HARRIS: Take care and be careful. We will talk with you later.

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