Jerusalem, September 23, 1997
FOUR SUICIDE BOMBERS IDENTIFIED
(Communicated by Prime Minister's Media Advisor)
Today, (Tuesday) 23.9.97, the security services, aided by the Biology Laboratory of the Forensic Medical Institute, the IDF and Israel Police have revealed the identities of four of the five suicide bombers in the Jerusalem Mahane Yehuda Market and Ben Yehuda Pedestrian Mall attacks. The security services evaluation is based on intelligence data and DNA tests. Their identities are as follows:
1. Mouai'a Mahmoud Ahmad Jarar'a - born in 1974.
2. Bashar Mahmoud Asad Zoualha - born in 1973.
3. Touwafik Ali Mahmoud Yassin - born in 1972.
4. The identity of the fourth suicide bomber, Yousuf Ahmad Shouli, born in 1974, is being verified.
All were residents of the village Azira Shamaliya, near Nablus.
The four were wanted by the GSS for questioning regarding their involvement in the shooting attack at IDF vehicles at 'Ein Bidan near Nablus in December 1996, during which an Army doctor and soldier were wounded.
The four were arrested by the Palestinian Authority during the arrests following the wave of terrorist attacks of February - March 1996.
In September 1996, the four escaped from the Palestinian prison in Nablus and were wanted fugitives since then.
A demand for the four men's arrest as soon as possible was made to the Palestinian Authority following their escape from Nablus prison, because of the concern that they would carry out more attacks. It should be noted that the four names were included in the list of 88 Hamas and Islamic Jihad activists whose arrests Israel requested, which was given to the Palestinian Authority during the trilateral meetings held after the Mahane Yehuda Market attacks.
It must be emphasized that the security service;s investigation is continuing with the aim of uncovering the entire Hamas Izz a-Din al-Kassem infrastructure that lies behind the terrorist attacks in Jerusalem's Mahane Yehuda Market and Ben Yehuda Pedestrian Mall. Details of the investigation have been kept secret under a court order banning their publication.
According to GSS, this terrorist infrastructure is dangerous because of its ability to carry out additional attacks in the immediate future.