Explosive device damages Holon building, motive is criminal
Heavy damage and two lightly injured after explosion in a builiding combining commerce, residential apartments and a medical center.
An explosive device exploded at around 4am Wednesday at an apartment building in Holon. Police reported that the motive was criminal. Two people were slightly injured.
The device was apparently planted in the stairwell on the first floor, according to neighbors' testimonies. They said that "a person known to the police, and who has already been visited by police” lives on that floor. Police Commander Nathan Bozena has appointed a special investigative team to examine the incident.
Magen David Adom paramedics searched the building’s apartments and reported large-scale destruction. People were injured from the shockwave and were evacuated to Wolfson Medical Center in Holon.
Neighbors said that they were sure that it was an earthquake or a terrorist attack.
"There was a huge explosion, I heard it in my sleep," Menashe, one of the residents, recounted. "I was with my wife and dog and I thought it was an earthquake. Lots of windows were shattered, the electricity was cut off, the elevator stopped.
"I went to the stairwell and saw everything flew, the marble, the entrance doors," Menashe continued. "It looked like the scene of an attack. From what I understand a bomb was placed on the door of an apartment on the second floor of the building.”
Municipality officials explained to residents that they could not stay in the building and that an engineer would come to check the level of risk of the apartments.
Fire station commander Ronen Machtiv said that firefighters responded quickly and took control of the fire. "This is a very complex building combining commerce, residential apartments and a medical center. The firefighters took control of the fire and thus prevented heavier damage and casualties,” he reported.
