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American Morning

Suicide Bomber Kills 15 in Tel Aviv

Aired May 08, 2002 - 08:02   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.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Up front this morning, though, two major terrorism stories are breaking here and abroad. Fifteen people were killed after a suicide bomber blew himself up at a pool hall near Tel Aviv. That attack came just as Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was meeting with President Bush, forcing Mr. Sharon to cut short his trip and head home.

And today, the FBI believes a college student they took into custody is the person behind the pipe bomb terror spree across five different states. We're going to get more on the pipe bomb suspect in just a minute from our correspondent Charles Feldman in Reno.

But first, let's check in with Carol Lin, who joins us now from a town near Tel Aviv where the bombing occurred -- good morning, Carol.

CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, Paula.

We're about 15 miles south of Tel Aviv and right now behind me you can see the actual scene of that massive explosion. We're going to tilt up here so that you can see that it happened on the third story.

We were evacuated in the last hour because investigators were saying that the ceiling is about to buckle. But as we speak right now I did see some investigators entering that property. But earlier today when we were reporting live from inside, let me show you that tape.

LIN: We're about 15 miles away from the city of Tel Aviv and what you're seeing behind me -- I'm going to step aside as you can see it -- is the scene of the destruction. At the center of that room, where there's 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're being 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're 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.

Paula, also inside that suitcase, these metal lug nuts here that became literally like flying bullets, killing some of those 15 people there after the blast. This is just some of the example of some of the damage that we saw inside. These lug nuts penetrating metal ceiling grates and furniture. It was, the scene up there was really devastating. It's even hard to imagine that the pictures that we're showing you now can actually reflect the bloody scene that we found upstairs -- Paula.

ZAHN: I know the information has gone back and forth, but is Hamas still claiming to have been behind this latest suicide bombing?

LIN: Paula, the latest report is that the IDF issued a statement out of Washington through Israel's representative that Hamas has claimed responsibility. But I don't think that's been formalized in any sense.

Nevertheless, unlike in the United States when you have a crime scene and they're gathering evidence in order to go through a pool, a massive pool of suspects, in this particular case people understand, they know that this is a political statement. It's not a random act here, in the same way that it might be in the United States.

So whether it's Hamas or one of the other militias, clearly what they're saying is this is a classic example of the suicide bombings continuing now in Israel. And as we understand it, meetings are taking place here in Israel, the ministry of defense meeting with the army. They're trying to decide what to do next.

And what perhaps may happen, depending on what the Israeli cabinet decides this afternoon, is that those incursions will once again begin in the West Bank. The West Bank is still under a closure, but they had lifted the curfew and the tanks had pulled back. But there's still severe restrictions on people in around Gaza as well as the West Bank.

ZAHN: All right, Carol, thanks so much.

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