A 27-year-old resident of the Shufat refugee camp in east Jerusalem was arrested on suspicion of planting two fake bombs on the Light Rail in the city, it was cleared for publication on Sunday.
The Jerusalem District Police's minorities division said that during his interrogation the suspect said he had planted the fake bombs "due to images of the killing in Gaza."
Related articles:
- Jerusalem: Arab man assaulted on Light Rail
- Op-ed: A lesson on Jerusalem
- Firebomb hurled at Jerusalem Light Rail
Police said the first fake bomb was placed on the train last Friday - two days after the IDF launched Operation Pillar of Defense. According to the investigation, the suspect took a bus to the Old City's Damascus Gate, walked to the Safra Square area and planted the fake bomb. Passengers who noticed the suspicious object as the train was approaching the station at Mount Herzl called the police. Traffic was stopped, and Jerusalem Police sappers who boarded the train determined that the suspicious object was a fake pipe bomb.
One of the fake bombs (Photo: Jerusalem Police)
According to investigators, the suspect planted another fake bomb on the train three days later. This time the fake bomb was discovered within minutes by Light Rail security guards.
After obtaining intelligence information, police arrested the suspect, who works as a TV technician. The man admitted to planting the fake bombs on the train and said he was motivated by the images that were received from Gaza during the fierce fighting between Israel and Hamas.
The man was later released to 10-days house arrest. His attorney, Muhammad Mahmoud, said his client suffers from mental problems. "He did not consider the consequences of his actions and did it as a prank. All we are talking about is an energy drink bottle with some wires attached to it," the lawyer said.
Meanwhile, police arrested two minors from east Jerusalem who are suspected of hurling a firebomb at the Light Rail.
- Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter
- Receive Ynetnews updates
directly to your desktop