Archives
Photo: Herzl Yosef
Pipe bomb thrown at home in Lod; residents say incident terror-related
Police initially claimed incident was criminally-motivated, but locals say it is continuation of recent tension between Jews and Arabs in the mixed city
A pipe bomb was thrown Thursday evening toward the front yard of home on Yaakov Plumnick Street in the city of Lod. The home's front yard also serves as a kindergarten.
Residents said the explosion, which occurred at around 9:30 pm was terror-related, but police are investigating all possible angles.
Yaakov Plumnick Street is located on the border of Lod's old city, and houses both Jews and Arabs. The home that was attacked is owned by a Jewish family with no links to the underworld. Residents said a second explosive device that was thrown at the house did not explode and was later neutralized by sappers.
Police officials initially claimed that the incident was criminally-motivated, but the area's Jewish residents are certain it was an act of terror. "What the police are saying is nonsense. The families that reside in the apartment building are Jewish, and the bomb was thrown at the apartment of a family which has no links to any criminal elements. I guess it's easier to say that the incident was criminal than probe the real problems in the area," one resident told Ynet.
Labor Knesset Member Yoram Marciano, a Lod resident, said following the incident "a red line has been crossed. I call on the distinguished members of the Arab community in Lod to deal with the outlaws immediately and on the security forces to protect the residents here."
City official Ilan Harari said the incident was a "continuation of the recent tension between Jews and Arabs in the city," adding that it was "apparently related to the situation in the south (Gaza war)."
