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CNN Live Today

Suicide Bomber Misfires

Aired August 05, 2002 - 13:10   ET

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


KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: After Palestinian attacks that killed 13 people last weekend, Israel today imposed a total travel band on much of the West Bank.
Also today, another deadly attack may have been averted by accident.

CNN's John Vause, in Jerusalem now, with the latest.

John, what happened?

John Vause, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, hi, Kyra.

It looks like a Palestinian man possibly wearing a belt with explosives strapped to his waist or possibly in a car which was booby- trapped, either way, that explosion wept off prematurely. He killed himself. He also seriously injured the driver of car.

It happened about 120 kilometers, 80 miles north of Jerusalem. It's on the road up to Haifa near the town of Hadera. The car was blown apart. All of this taking place near the Israeli-Arab town of (UNINTELLIGIBLE).

Details are still very sketchy as to what happened. There's some speculation that he may have been hitchhiking. But (UNINTELLIGIBLE). We're still on further details as they come in.

But this, of course, comes even in spite of that crackdown, as you mentioned in the lead: five towns down to a complete travel restriction according to the Israeli government. No one gets in, no one gets out unless there are some medical or humanitarian reasons.

Now, this crackdown in response to that 24 hours of terror which happened in Israel, with at least 13 people killed and more than 80 wounded. The worst, of course, was that suicide bombing on that bus near the town of Safad. Nine people were killed there, more than 50 people were wounded.

But the IDF does say that they believe they have caught the man who orchestrated those attacks, the Hamas militant leader. They say they arrested him overnight. They captured two of his deputies. They say Mazan Kukha, the man responsible for that, they captured him near the West Bank town of (UNINTELLIGIBLE). By all accounts, they have been at him quite some time. He'd been underground for a month, or several months at least. And IDF says they had intelligence reports that he was, in fact, planning something quite substantial. As you say, they captured him overnight. So maybe there's some indication that this trackdown that they have in place is working. But on the other hand, we have this other explosion, near Hadera, an example that maybe the suicide bombers are still getting through -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: John, meanwhile, what are newly-appointed Palestinian leaders saying to all this violence?

VAUSE: Yes, well, it's the same line coming out of the Palestinian Authority. They are saying they condemn the violence, they condemn the suicide attacks, but they are blaming Israel. They say that while Israel remains on the West Bank, while they -- the Palestinians remain under curfew -- more homes are being demolished while people are being expelled to the Gaza City, rather, from the West Bank, that these terrorist attacks will continue. And the PA leadership is saying that look, they're not in control of the West Bank. Israel is. They can't stop them. They need to have their authority back and they need to be have some kind of ability to work with Israel to try and stop these suicide bombings -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: John Vause, live from Jerusalem. Thanks, John.

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