The suicide bombing here on Friday, February 25, 2005, that killed four Israelis and wounded over 50 was funded and directed by Hezbollah forces, which may have paid up to $100,000 for the attack, security sources told WorldNetDaily.
A suicide bomber detonated a powerful explosive, reportedly about 66 pounds, around 11:30 p.m. on Friday night among patrons waiting outside the seaside nightclub Stage in the packed Herbert Samuel promenade popular with young Israelis.
The three main terror groups – Hamas, Islamic Jihad and the Al Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades – denied involvement, and none hung the customary posters of congratulations at the bomber’s home. An Islamic Jihad cell had earlier taken credit for the blast, but the faction’s leadership in the Gaza Strip denied any knowledge, considered an unusual response if indeed the group was responsible.
The bomber was identified as Abdullah Badran, 21, a university student from the village of Deir al-Ghusun near the West Bank town of Tulkarem. Earlier today, Israeli forces arrested two of Badran’s brothers and four neighbors, including a local mosque preacher. It was not immediately clear whether all were suspects, or if the brothers were taken to provide DNA samples for identification of the bomber.