Two Israeli policemen died preventing a female suicide bomber from entering a packed Jerusalem bus shelter on Wednesday, probably saving many other lives.
The 19-year-old Palestinian woman detonated the bomb when the policeman demanded to search a bag the authorities say contained about 5kg of explosive.
PHOTO: NY TIMES
"She threw her head back and then there was an explosion," witness Debbie Segal told Army radio. "A few seconds later, her body burst into flames."
Another witness, Binyamin Miller, said: "I thought there must be many people dead because the explosion seemed so loud and then the screaming started. A lot of people were very, very lucky today."
About 20 people were wounded, including a nine year-old boy.
The Al-Aqsa martyrs brigades named the bomber as Zainab Abu Salem from a Nablus refugee camp.
Jerusalem's police chief, Ilan Franco, said that the policemen had prevented many more deaths inside the bus shelter, where more than 20 people were waiting, or would have occurred had she boarded a rush-hour bus.
"The operation of border police officers today in Jerusalem ... prevented a very big attack," he said.
Israel was braced for an attack to coincide with last week's Jewish new year and Yom Kippur tomorrow. The bombing took place in French Hill, a mostly Jewish suburb of occupied East Jerusalem, which has been a favored target for suicide bombings over the past four years of intifada.
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said Israel would hit back at the Palestinians with "all force."
"In many cases we prevent heavy disasters. Sometimes things happen like what happened today. But we intend to continue our struggle against terror with all force," he added.
Jerusalem Mayor Uri Lupolianski led calls for the speeding up of the construction of the Israel's barrier through the West Bank and East Jerusalem.
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