Hoax bomb scare forces Jerusalem evacuation
Jerusalem’s central bus station was evacuated shortly after sunset on Monday by a bomb scare that turned out to be a protest against Israel’s planned pullout from Gaza next month, it was reported.
Police discovered a package with electric wires protruding attached to a gas canister. Suspecting it was a bomb, they ordered the bus station emptied.
Later examination of the package found no explosives. Instead, there was a note with the slogan, “Disengagement will blow up in our faces” – a saying used by opponents of the pullout.
Several times in the past, extremist opponents have planted dummy bombs in Jerusalem, causing traffic jams when police discovered them. Extremists have also blocked highways to protest about the pullout, set to begin on August 17.
Security is routinely tight at the Jerusalem bus station, which is combined with a shopping mall. All people entering the building must pass through a metal detector, and packages are X-rayed.
