Palestinian reports claimed on Thursday that Jafar Muna, a resident of the West Bank city of Nablus, was the terrorist responsible for the suicide bombing in southern Tel Aviv earlier this week. The explosive device apparently detonated before the terrorist reached his intended target, moderately injuring Leonid, a passerby on a scooter on his way home from work.
In a statement made the day after the bombing, Tel Aviv District Commander Deputy Commissioner Peretz Amar said the police and the Shin Bet decided to raise the alert level in the area and began conducting patrols across the greater Tel Aviv area.
“We had a very unusual incident of an explosive device detonation whose nature was unclear. As soon as the patrols arrived, we realized that it was a person with a device strapped on to him, and it was later confirmed to be a terror attack,” he said.
Amar addressed the terrorist’s identity - Muna, who had no prior criminal record - and the explosive device that detonated at the scene, which likely was homemade and faulty. "We have identified the terrorist, who is from the Palestinian territories. He isn’t someone who is found in our registry, and the explosive device was likely manufactured where he lived,” he said,
“We suspect the terrorist was supposed to reach a certain location and apparently noticed the synagogue on his way. He decided to stop for a moment to arm the device, but apparently pressed something else and activated it," Amar said.
Hamas and Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the attack in a joint statement. However, security officials have so far refrained from attributing responsibility to Hamas or Islamic Jihad directly, despite their claims, and are also investigating whether another party might have dispatched the terrorist.