March 15, 2004 11-year-old boy used as human bomb

By MARGOT DUDKEVITCH &endash; Jerusalem Post

 

Fatah Tanzim activists in Nablus attempted to use an 11-year-old boy to smuggle a bomb through an IDF roadblock on Monday, and tried to detonate the bomb when soldiers stopped him.

Earlier in the day, Shin Bet agents had alerted troops in the area of plans by a bomber to leave Nablus.

The men gave the boy a bag containing a seven-to-10 kilogram bomb stuffed with bolts. They promised him a large sum of money if he would carry it through the roadblock and hand it to a woman waiting on the other side.

"A military policewoman lifted the bag, which was heavy, and placed it on the table. The soldier noticed the boy was uneasy and, when she questioned him, he told her the bag didn't belong to him and he had been asked to take it through," Lt.-Col. Guy, a Paratroop Brigade battalion commander, told The Jerusalem Post.

"She immediately alerted officers, and with the other soldiers, distanced everyone from the area.

"When the boy's dispatchers saw he was being detained, they dialed the cellphone inside the bag meant to detonate the bomb in an attempt, but it failed top go off," he said.

The boy was detained for questioning, and sappers were called in to dispose of the bomb.

Guy said the boy will be freed after questioning. "We're not going to do anything with a boy like that, an innocent kid trying to earn his daily bread. Someone apparently promised him money for getting the bomb across."

Guy said it is common for terrorist groups to use children or women as couriers for arms and explosives.

"We have caught a 39-year-old mother of seven... with an explosive belt under her clothes," he said, adding that the woman was on her way into Israel from the West Bank when she was caught.

Since the outbreak of violence, terrorists have dispatched 29 suicide bombers younger than 18, officials said.

Since 2001, more than 40 other minors who were involved in planning suicide bombings have been arrested by security forces. Since May 2001, 22 shootings and bombings were perpetrated by minors….