Haredim uproot memorial for terror victims
Five ultra-Orthodox youngsters remove, then hurl monument dedicated to victims of suicide bombing on Jerusalem bus
Five ultra-Orthodox youngsters were arrested in Jerusalem Saturday night on suspicion of uprooting a memorial dedicated to the victims of one of two suicide bombings on No. 18 buses in Jerusalem.
The officers spotted the haredim as they were uprooting the monument, not far from the corner of Jaffa and Nordau streets in downtown Jerusalem. The youngsters, who left the monument at a nearby parking lot after removing it, refused to explain the act to investigators.
Defaced monument in Jerusalem (Photo: Gil Yohanan)
According to police, one of the suspects attempted to flee the scene but was apprehended following a short chase.
A memorial plaque listing the terror victims' names was not damaged.
On the morning of February 25, 1996, a suicide bomber blew himself up himself on a No.18 bus traveling down Jaffa Road near the Jerusalem Central Bus Station. Twenty-six people were killed and 48 injured.
On the morning of March 3, 1996, a suicide bomber boarded another No. 18 bus, detonating an explosive belt that killed 19 people and wounded 7.
This past Wednesday a bonfire was lit at a memorial for fallen Israeli soldiers in Tiberias. The people who lit the fire were not caught.
