Suspicion: Stole monument for terror victims, took it to Ramallah
Omar Jabar tells police his gang planned to place monument in honor of 1989 terror attack on bus No. 405 in West Bank city's central square. Bereaved husband: No conscience
Omar Jabar, a 33 year old resident of Abu Gosh, was arrested on suspicion of stealing parts of a monument erected in honor of those killed in the terror attack on bus No. 405 near Kiryat Ye'arim. The Jerusalem Magistrates Court extended his remand by four days on Tuesday. Judge Tamar Bar-Asher Tsaban said Jabar is suspected of defacing a monument, conspiring to commit a crime and stealing property worth more than NIS 500,000 (about $138,000).
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The investigation found that the monument was cut apart in two stages over a few days last December and was then stolen for its metal. Jerusalem Police investigators say that during his interrogation Jabar claimed he belonged to a gang that wanted to place the monument in a central square in Ramallah. Police are working with Palestinian elements to see whether parts of the monument were in fact transferred to the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank.
Scene of 1989 terror attack near Kiryat Ye'arim (Archive photo: AP)
The massive metal monument was ripped from the ground in December following several attempts to steal it over the past few years. It was erected in honor of the 16 people who were killed on July 6, 1989 when Hamas terrorist Abed al-Hadi Ghaneim seized the steering wheel of a crowded Egged bus en route from Tel-Aviv to Jerusalem and ran it off a steep cliff into a ravine near Kiryat Ye'arim.
Ghaneim was released from an Israeli prison as part of the prisoner exchange deal which secured the release of Gilad Shalit.
Aziz Tzerafi, whose wife Miriam was killed in the terror attack, told Ynet: "The fact that they wanted to take the monument to Ramallah shows they are despicable. These are people who have no conscience, barbarians; they are not human and I hope those who are caught are prosecuted to the full extent of the law. This hurts the (bereaved) families."
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