Bomber a Palestinian student

2005-02-26 10:07

Ramallah - The Israeli military on Saturday informed a Palestinian family that their son, a 21-year-old university student, was the suicide bomber who killed four Israelis in an attack on a Tel Aviv night club.

The bomber was identified as Abdullah Badran. His relatives said he had no ties to militant groups.

Badran is from the West Bank village of Deir al-Ghusun, near the town of Tulkarem, and Palestinian security officials said they were investigating whether local militants from the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades had recruited Badran on behalf of the Lebanese guerrilla group Hezbollah.

Al Aqsa, which consists of small squads of gunmen, has ties to the ruling Fatah Party of Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas. Most Al Aqsa cells have said they support an informal truce with Israel, but others who receive funding from Hezbollah have said they will keep trying to carry out attacks. Hezbollah has stepped up efforts in recent weeks to try to disrupt an informal Israeli-Palestinian truce.

Troops entered Deir al Ghusun early on Saturday and arrested five people, including two of Badran's brothers, two of his friends and the local Muslim cleric, Palestinian officials said.

The army confirmed the arrest raid, but gave no further details.

'No ties' with militants

Abdullah Badran's brother, Ibrahim, said the army informed the family that Abdullah was the Tel Aviv attacker. In the attack, a suicide bomber blew himself up at the entrance to a nightclub late on Friday, killing four Israelis and wounding dozens.

Ibrahim Badran said his brother had been studying education at a local university and had never expressed extremist views. He said he could not believe his brother was a bomber.

"Every one who knows Abdullah can't believe that he would do that," he said, adding that his brother was not affiliated with any militant group.

However, he said his Abdullah had left the family home at noon on Friday and had not returned.

Palestinian officials said they had been tracking communications between Hezbollah and Al Aqsa militants in the northern West Bank in recent days.

In Beirut, a Hezbollah official declined involvement. "As far as we are concerned, there is no need to respond to such lies," the official said.

- AP