Explosive device (Archive photo)
Photo: ABC News, AP
Bomb defused shortly before detonation
Sappers defuse explosive device, thwart attempt to hurt civilians, troops at Gush Etzion junction
Terror attack thwarted: An explosive device was defused by sappers in a controlled detonation Friday at the Gush Etzion junction, after civilians at the site spotted the bomb and called in security authorities.
The junction was closed to traffic and reopened after the device was detonated. Meanwhile, IDF officials launched an investigation into the circumstances of the attempted attack in a bid to discover the perpetrators.
Eyewitnesses said the bomb was connected to a timer and was defused by Border Guard sappers with about 20 minutes to go to detonation time.
The Gush Etzion junction is considered one of the most sensitive sites in the West Bank and terror groups have in the past targeted the area because it is used as a major transfer point for many civilians and soldiers.
In February, a 25-year-old man and a 17-year-old girl were hurt in a stabbing attack at the junction. A most serious attack was thwarted after an off-duty police officer arrived at the scene, pulled out his gun, and prompted the attacker to flee.
Four months earlier, three Israelis were murdered in a shooting attack at a hitch-hiking post at the junction.
