17-Dec-17: Two Arab-on-Israeli terror attacks; both involve bombs

The heavily secured entrance to the Samaria Military Court where this
morning's attack was thwarted [Archive Image Source]

Far from the attention of the army of foreign reporters prowling our country for stories, Israeli alertness has thwarted a couple of especially hair-raising attacks by Palestinian Arab zealots intent on murder at any price, including their own lives. Both incidents involve bombs.

First this morning (Sunday). Times of Israel's account ["Palestinian arrested outside West Bank military court with suspected bomb", today] says a Palestinian Arab, still unidentified at this early stage, tried to make his way into one of Israel's military courts while wearing some prohibited underwear. 

He was stopped by on-duty Border Guard officers on arriving at the entrance to the Samaria Military Court (we think the one in Salim, in Israel's Jezreel Valley) with what appears - no one is certain yet - a bomb strapped to his body. It's a gorgeous early winter day, not cold, very sunny, and he was wearing an overcoat. One of the police required him to remove the coat, and the murderous thing concealed inside it it became evident.

Sappers are working to defuse the suspected explosive device as we write this. The court's entrance is now closed.

Notwithstanding those vague media reports appearing from time to time that Palestinian Arab terrorists have discontinued their fixation with body-mounted bombs and other forms of murderous self-immolation, a social media commentator posted this morning (in Hebrew) that there have been at least two very similar previous attacks by bombers this year, one on May 24 and one of October 15 (reported here), at the very same location.

Two days ago (Friday), a Palestinian Arab in another attack involving the Border Guard part of Israel's police, this time in the Arab town of Al-Bireh (population around 40,000), ran full-pelt towards the Israelis while brandishing a knife. As well armed as the police undoubtedly were, they held off doing the obvious - firing at the man with the very clear intentions - until he was upon them. He managed to stab one of the Israeli Border Guard men in the upper part of his body. 

Image Source: NYPost/AFP

He was wearing what the media are calling "a suicide vest". It's not clear whether the "suicide" device involved actual explosives or the mere appearance of them. Colleagues of the stabbed police officer, fearing he would explode and caused still more injuries, shot him. (It's captured on a graphic piece of video here.) He is now dead.

The Palestinian Authority health ministry, often the source for details about terrorists and their injuries, says the deceased attacker is named Mohammed Aqal, 29. 

As the AFP photo above makes plain, whether or not the knife-man had a working bomb under his jacket, he plainly wanted people to think he did. He also, it appears, wanted to seem to be a reporter according to this stunning article ["Police: Palestinian who stabbed border guard pretended to be a journalist", Times of Israel, today]

His injured victim is now in Jerusalem's Shaarei Zedek Medical Center where the official report issued this morning (Sunday) is, according to Ynet, that his condition is thankfully improving and he is now said to be in moderate condition.