Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live Today

Palestinian Authority Condemning Bold Terrorist Attack at Hebrew University

Aired July 31, 2002 - 13:08   ET

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

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: The Palestinian Authority is condemning a bold terrorist attack today at Jerusalem's Hebrew University. A bomb was set off inside a crowded cafeteria, killing seven people and wounding dozens more.
CNN Jerusalem bureau chief Mike Hanna joins us now with the latest. We're told that one of the dead is an American -- Mike.

MIKE HANNA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Well, Kyra, at the moment we haven't been able to confirm the identity of any of the seven dead, although we know there were a lot of international exchange students on the campus at this time of the year. The university is officially closed for the summer vacation, but during this period, there are international exchange students who take part in various programs, various seminars there. The exact breakdown of those killed we have no information about as yet.

Seven people killed, according to Israeli police, well over 70 people are wounded. At least 10 of those wounded are said to be in a critical condition in the hospital. A devastating attack on the university campus, coming in a cafeteria that was crowded at the lunch hour.

Police are investigating exactly how the explosion took place. They are proceeding on the assumption explosive device placed in bag, left in cafeteria, and then detonated remotely in some way. This the line in which the police are going at this particular stage. It has -- at this stage, police are ruling out that it was, in fact, a suicide bomber. That has been the pattern of previous attacks against Israeli civilian targets. In this case, it does appear, police believe, that some explosive device was left in this very crowded cafeteria and detonated -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Mike, you have to wonder, if not a suicide bomber, is it possible this could have been a student?

HANNA: Well, this is sheer speculation, Kyra, that we have not the faintest idea how to ascertain exactly who was responsible. That's is what the police are doing at this particular stage. I mean, obviously the university itself is a mixed university. There are some 5,000 Arab students out of the more than 20,000 who are enrolled at this university. Once again, police are looking, obviously, at all possibilities as to how that explosive device got on to the campus and got placed in that cafeteria.

There has been heightened state of alert throughout Israel, and that campus no exception. There were security guards posted around and on the campus. This in the wake of threats of retaliation by Palestinian militants that they would be taking revenge for Israeli attack that took place in Gaza City last week.

So there has been a heightened state of alert through all Israeli areas. That campus just one of them where there more security guards in place, they were on the look out. There had been intelligence warning. There have been statements from Israeli intelligence officials in recent days that a number of would-be attackers had been intercepted before they were able to get to their point of attack. In this particular case, very clearly, someone got through. What Israeli police and intelligence people are looking at is exactly how this happened -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: When you say "security forces" there at the university are they armed soldiers?

HANNA: No. There are security guards in place, most of whom are armed. Most of these security guards in Israel, be that at the university or outside restaurants, for example, outside shopping malls, most, if not all of them, do carry weapons. That is nature of the security that has taken place, where you do have a private-type security at points of entry or access to particular areas, then of course you have police on a constant patrol around various areas within Israel.

Only yesterday, there was a suicide bomb attack in Jerusalem in which nobody was killed apart from the bomber. Police adamant if they had not intercepted the man they believed to be suspicious, who turned out to be carrying explosive device, then they could have been Israeli dead in that attack as well.

So there's a constant state of alert on very many areas, ranging through the police that you see in the streets, private security guards, who guard particular areas, as well as very many unmarked cars, plain clothes people. There are very, very intense levels of security. But, quite clearly, people can still get through, people can get explosive devices through, as was so tragically shown in the course of this afternoon.

PHILLIPS: Mike Hanna, live from Jerusalem. Thanks, Mike.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com