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Suicide Bomber Detonates Explosives at Entrance to Israeli Mall

Aired May 18, 2001 - 06:01   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.
LINDA STOUFFER, CNN ANCHOR: The death toll is climbing today in the conflict in the Middle East. Just about an hour ago, we got word of a bombing at an Israeli shopping mall.

JASON CARROLL, CNN ANCHOR: Authorities say six people were killed, including the apparent suicide bomber.

For an update now, we go back to CNN's Mike Hanna, who joins us live from Jerusalem.

Good morning to you, Mike. What can you tell us?

MIKE HANNA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.

Well, police have confirmed that four people have been killed in the blast, this is in the coastal city of Netanya, just north of Tel Aviv. According to eyewitnesses, a man attempted to gain entrance to the Sharon shopping mall. A security guard refused him access. He then, according to the witnesses, detonated explosives that were strapped to his body.

Well over 40 people are reported to have been injured in the attack -- the figure of four: not clear, at this point, whether that includes the man who detonated the explosive device. There have been a series of attacks in that coastal region, in the central Israel over -- in recent months. The police superintendent overseeing the entire region says there have been 15 such attacks, some of which were -- the explosive were detonated harmlessly. However, this is the latest in a long string of bomb attacks against civilian targets. The death toll, according to police, four people killed, more than 40 people wounded.

CARROLL: Do we know at this point if there has been any sort of official Israeli reaction to this?

HANNA: No official Israeli reaction at this stage -- however, we understand that Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has convened an emergency security meeting that is due to take place in just under an hour's time in Tel Aviv. We're looking at pictures, unedited pictures from Israeli television of the scene around the shopping mall in Netanya.

Now, at this time, on a Friday, last-minute shopping for many people before the Sabbath begins at sundown in the evening. So the area was intensely crowded. The police spokesmen says there would have been an even greater tragedy if the man carrying the explosives had, in fact, gained access into the mall. He was prevented from doing so by a security guard at the entrance to that shopping mall -- once again, looking at these pictures from the area of Netanya.

And Netanya, as I say, has been a scene of previous bomb blasts. There was one in March that killed two people back in January. Some 40 people were wounded in a bomb attack in the self-same town -- so the figures at the moment, according to police: four people dead -- not clear whether this includes the man who detonated the explosives -- and more than 40 people injured.

CARROLL: All right, Mike Hanna, coming to us live this morning from Jerusalem.

And, again, just to recap for you just a bit, the numbers have been fluctuating just a little bit: four killed, 40 hurt, as a man armed with explosives walked outside a mall in Netanya, a mall located about six miles from the West Bank. There has been no immediate claim of responsibility. And Ariel Sharon is expected to give a statement sometime soon.

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