Israel confirms East Jerusalem bomber’s identity, arrests father, accomplices

Following days of police silence and media speculation, Israel's Shin Bet on Thursday confirmed the identity of the Palestinian who detonated a bomb on an Egged bus in Jerusalem on Monday, The Jerusalem Post reported.

The confirmation comes less than 24 hours after Hamas claimed responsibility, and lauded its operative, Abdel Hamid Abu Srour, 19, of Beit Jala near Bethlehem, for carrying out the attack that wounded 20 men, women and children, seven of them seriously.

Srour died on Wednesday night at the capital’s Shaare Zedek Medical Center following multiple surgeries after his legs were blown off in the explosion.

None of the passengers sustained critical injuries, with the only death being Srour’s.

Srour did not carry any identification, slowing the intensive police-Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) investigation that ensued.

“A major part of the investigation was to find out who [the attacker] was, and who helped him plan the attack,” police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said.

Immediately following the explosion, the police and Shin Bet launched a joint investigation that led to several arrests on Wednesday.

Srour’s father was among those arrested, Rosenfeld said, adding that more arrests are expected.

Source: MENA