Return to Transcripts main page

Live From...

Palestinian Group Claims Bomber Was Female

Aired May 19, 2003 - 15:31   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.


MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Five attacks in 48 hours. Israelis call it a declaration of war. Palestinian militants call it self- defense. A new wave of bloodshed in the Middle East dims hopes for a U.S.-brokered road map to peace. A suicide bomber blew himself up at the (UNINTELLIGIBLE) entrance of a crowded shopping mall in Afula, northern Israel this morning.
Our Kelly Wallace is live at the scene of the blast, and we should say -- we believe it was a female bomber. Is that correct, Kelly?

KELLY WALLACE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That is correct, Miles. The latest information just coming in to us. According to sources with the radical Palestinian group Islamic Jihad, the group claiming responsibility for this suicide bombing, saying the bomber was a 19-year-old woman from a village near Jenin in the northern West Bank.

You can see behind me exactly where this took place at the entrance to this mall, and quite a different scene, Miles, from just about an hour and a half ago, when we were last talking. You can see how quickly the Israeli emergency workers and volunteers are clearing through, going through the debris, clearing away the blood.

You can also see how powerful this blast was, how it blew away the entire entrance to this mall. We are told that the bomber -- now we know it was a female -- came here to this entrance and was being checked out by a male security guard, and that also a female security guard was on hand. Israeli police say the man was checking the woman and that, obviously, was discovering there was a problem. And shortly after that, that is when the suicide bomber blew herself up. Three Israelis are dead. Right now, we are told the female security guard did not die in this attack, but the identities of the other victims are unclear. More than 40 injured.

And we talked to a man, he's an owner of a restaurant here at this mall. He said he arrived on the scene moments before the explosion, and he described exactly what happened.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... come and do things like this, to see the man in the eyes before he blow himself, and you take him with you. I saw pieces of legs here. In my car. This is the paper was in the car, there was blood on it, pieces of woman or man on the car.

WALLACE (on camera): And the security guard, though, who saved a lot of lives, don't you think? What are your thoughts about her?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All the security guards in Israel, they make very good job. And we just want to say them thank you. Thank you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALLACE: And Miles, that's the common sentiment here, that security guards, security guards are at every mall, restaurant, any public place around Israel, that the security guards on hand today prevented this attack from becoming much, much worse -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: You know, we don't think very much about the role they play, but very often they are among the first to go in these cases, and we don't really recognize them too often, but I guess their role out there is so crucial to give people a sense of security.

In the wake of something like this, 48 hours of such tremendous violence, what level of security do people really feel, though?

WALLACE: Well, you know, it's a sense that Israelis are unfortunately, they will say, somewhat used to this. There have more than 90 suicide bombings in two and a half years. Obviously, there has been this sort of new wave of attacks over the past 48 hours, five suicide bombings in 48 hours. But again, people take precautions. Most people who live here won't go into any place that doesn't have a security guard. They feel that sort of extra degree of safety knowing there is someone on hand. But we did talk to, Miles, a couple of people here, the owner of the restaurant, the manager as well, about what's going on, asking them if they're sort of pessimistic about any chance to move forward on that so-called road map for Middle East peace, and you might be surprised to hear, they say they're not terribly pessimistic. They still believe, they still say they have to hope that somehow, some way, the two sides can be talking to each other again to move forward somehow, some way -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: Hope against hope, perhaps. All right. Kelly Wallace at the scene of that bombing in northern Israel, thank you very much. We appreciate it.

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






Aired May 19, 2003 - 15:31   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Five attacks in 48 hours. Israelis call it a declaration of war. Palestinian militants call it self- defense. A new wave of bloodshed in the Middle East dims hopes for a U.S.-brokered road map to peace. A suicide bomber blew himself up at the (UNINTELLIGIBLE) entrance of a crowded shopping mall in Afula, northern Israel this morning.
Our Kelly Wallace is live at the scene of the blast, and we should say -- we believe it was a female bomber. Is that correct, Kelly?

KELLY WALLACE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That is correct, Miles. The latest information just coming in to us. According to sources with the radical Palestinian group Islamic Jihad, the group claiming responsibility for this suicide bombing, saying the bomber was a 19-year-old woman from a village near Jenin in the northern West Bank.

You can see behind me exactly where this took place at the entrance to this mall, and quite a different scene, Miles, from just about an hour and a half ago, when we were last talking. You can see how quickly the Israeli emergency workers and volunteers are clearing through, going through the debris, clearing away the blood.

You can also see how powerful this blast was, how it blew away the entire entrance to this mall. We are told that the bomber -- now we know it was a female -- came here to this entrance and was being checked out by a male security guard, and that also a female security guard was on hand. Israeli police say the man was checking the woman and that, obviously, was discovering there was a problem. And shortly after that, that is when the suicide bomber blew herself up. Three Israelis are dead. Right now, we are told the female security guard did not die in this attack, but the identities of the other victims are unclear. More than 40 injured.

And we talked to a man, he's an owner of a restaurant here at this mall. He said he arrived on the scene moments before the explosion, and he described exactly what happened.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... come and do things like this, to see the man in the eyes before he blow himself, and you take him with you. I saw pieces of legs here. In my car. This is the paper was in the car, there was blood on it, pieces of woman or man on the car.

WALLACE (on camera): And the security guard, though, who saved a lot of lives, don't you think? What are your thoughts about her?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All the security guards in Israel, they make very good job. And we just want to say them thank you. Thank you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WALLACE: And Miles, that's the common sentiment here, that security guards, security guards are at every mall, restaurant, any public place around Israel, that the security guards on hand today prevented this attack from becoming much, much worse -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: You know, we don't think very much about the role they play, but very often they are among the first to go in these cases, and we don't really recognize them too often, but I guess their role out there is so crucial to give people a sense of security.

In the wake of something like this, 48 hours of such tremendous violence, what level of security do people really feel, though?

WALLACE: Well, you know, it's a sense that Israelis are unfortunately, they will say, somewhat used to this. There have more than 90 suicide bombings in two and a half years. Obviously, there has been this sort of new wave of attacks over the past 48 hours, five suicide bombings in 48 hours. But again, people take precautions. Most people who live here won't go into any place that doesn't have a security guard. They feel that sort of extra degree of safety knowing there is someone on hand. But we did talk to, Miles, a couple of people here, the owner of the restaurant, the manager as well, about what's going on, asking them if they're sort of pessimistic about any chance to move forward on that so-called road map for Middle East peace, and you might be surprised to hear, they say they're not terribly pessimistic. They still believe, they still say they have to hope that somehow, some way, the two sides can be talking to each other again to move forward somehow, some way -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: Hope against hope, perhaps. All right. Kelly Wallace at the scene of that bombing in northern Israel, thank you very much. We appreciate it.

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