The Tel Aviv Magistrate’s Court on Thursday ordered a resident of Holon to serve one month of house arrest after he was charged with assisting the terrorist who planted explosive devices on buses in Bat Yam and Holon. The indictment, filed on Thursday, accuses the driver of transporting an illegal resident but does not claim he knew he was aiding a terrorist. Despite the court’s decision, police opposed his release and issued a stay until a further hearing on Friday at 11:00 a.m.
According to the indictment, the terrorist entered Israel on an unknown date and sought transportation from Bat Yam to the West Bank city of Ariel on the day of the attack. An intermediary, unaware of the terrorist’s identity, arranged for the ride for a fee of 400 shekels. Before the ride, the terrorist changed clothes to remove any scent of explosives. After reaching Ariel, he requested an additional stop near Zatra Junction for another 50 shekels, and then was dropped off near Tapuah Junction.
Bus on fire in bat Yam
Judge Benny Doron noted that "the indictment does not state that (the driver)knew he was transporting a terrorist. His lawyer explained that the ride was arranged by another person who connected the two. The terrorist spoke Hebrew with an accent, and he believed he was a resident of Jaffa. Furthermore, no charges were filed against the intermediary, who has since been released."
While acknowledging the gravity of the case, the judge ruled that, without evidence of prior knowledge, the driver should be placed under house arrest with restrictions. The police objected to the decision, and a further hearing is set for Friday.
The driver's attorney, Tzadok Khouri, told Ynet that "the judge made a fair and balanced decision. He barred him from driving until the end of proceedings, but in the end this was much ado about nothing. If the judges had been more attentive earlier, we wouldn’t have reached this point. He was held under extremely harsh conditions without justification."
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Before the hearing, the driver's father, Avraham, described his son’s arrest. "The police came at four in the morning. I was on my way to synagogue when I saw them and thought they were Hamas as they burst through the doors. His wife was terrified — they have young children. This is not right. The kids were there. It happened 15 days ago, and I haven’t seen my son since."
The attempted bus bombings took place two weeks ago when explosive devices detonated on three buses parked in two lots in Bat Yam. No injuries were reported. A total of four bombs were planted — three exploded in two separate locations, while the fourth was discovered and neutralized near Wolfson Medical Center in Holon. Police stated that the devices weighed approximately five kilograms and were equipped with timers. At least one had the words "Revenge from Tulkarm" written on it. Hamas’ Tulkarem Battalion later hinted at responsibility for the attack.