Liberty Bell Park bus bombing


The Liberty Bell Park bus bombing was the suicide bombing of Egged bus #14a in Jerusalem, Israel, on February 22, 2004. Eight passengers were killed in the attack and over 60 people were injured, many of them children on their way to school. The Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades claimed responsibility for the attack.

The attack

On Sunday, February 22, 2004, during the morning rush hour, a Palestinian suicide bomber got on the 14a bus traveling to downtown Jerusalem. The suicide bomber had an explosive device hidden in a backpack which was stuffed with metal scraps to maximize casualties. Police believe he boarded the bus in the Talpiot industrial zone.
The suicide bomber waited for the bus to fill up with passengers. At approximately 8:30 am, as the bus passed Liberty Bell park on the edge of Emek Refaim, the main street of the German Colony, he detonated the explosive device.
Eight people were killed in the attack and more than 60 people were injured, 11 of whom were schoolchildren.

Fatalities

The perpetrators

The al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades claimed responsibility for the attack and stated that the attacker was 23-year-old Mohammed Zaul from the village of Husan in the West Bank. After the attack a video of the suicide bomber was released in which Zaul claimed he carried out the attack in revenge "for the massacre perpetrated by Israel against the Palestinians."

Official reactions

;Involved parties