One dead, 32 wounded in suspected terror ramming at bus stop north of Tel Aviv

Police say driver ‘neutralized,’ launch probe into his motive; medics say 8 people were trapped under truck that plowed into crowd at Glilot, near IDF intelligence base

By Emanuel Fabian Follow and ToI Staff Today 26-10-2024, 4:06 pm

A man was killed and 32 people were wounded in a suspected terror ramming attack at a bus stop near Herzliya on Sunday morning — five in serious condition, seven moderately wounded, and 20 lightly hurt.

Police said that the driver who rammed his truck into people at a bus stop outside the IDF’s Glilot base in central Israel, north of Tel Aviv, was shot and “neutralized” by armed civilians in the area.

According to the police’s initial probe, a bus had stopped at the station outside the base to drop off passengers, and then a truck rammed into the stop, hitting the people there.

Hamas put out a statement a short while after the incident, praising the “heroic ramming attack” that was carried out near “Mossad headquarters.”

The Glilot area near Herzliya is home to the Mossad headquarters along with several IDF intelligence units, including the high-profile signals intelligence Unit 8200.

Without taking responsibility for the apparent attack, the terror group said that it was “a natural response to the crimes of the Zionist occupation against our Palestinian people in Gaza, the West Bank and Jerusalem, and its ongoing brutal massacres, especially in the northern Gaza Strip.”

The Magen David Adom emergency service said eight people were trapped under the truck when medics arrived at the bus stop, and other were lying or walking nearby.

Officers and ambulances rushed to the scene, where police cordoned off the area as medics helped the injured and a helicopter hovered above.

Following the attack, Tel Aviv’s Ichilov Hospital said one of the victims of the suspected terror attack was in critical condition. A short while later, the hospital released a statement saying that  doctors had pronounced one victim dead. It was unclear whether he was the same victim who was critically injured.

Many of the injured were senior citizens who had disembarked from a bus ahead of a visit to a nearby museum to mark the national memorial day for those killed in the October 7, 2023, Hamas massacre and subsequent war.

Police were probing further details, including the motive of the attack.

In a separate incident in the West Bank on Sunday, the Israel Defense Forces said a Palestinian motorist who tried to carry out a ramming and stabbing attack against IDF troops near the West Bank town of Hizma was shot dead.

According to the IDF, the assailant accelerated his car toward troops of the Binyamin Regional Brigade’s 43rd Battalion, as they were operating near Hizma.

“The terrorist drew a knife… and tried to carry out a stabbing attack,” the IDF said, adding that the soldiers opened fire at the assailant, killing him.

There were no other injuries in the incident.

Police said the Route 437 highway in the area was blocked to traffic following the incident.

The attacks on Sunday came as Israel marked the first anniversary on the Hebrew calendar of Hamas’s October 7 mass onslaught against southern Israel, the worst terror attack in Israel’s history, when 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage to Gaza.

Since then, 41 people, including Israeli security personnel, have been killed in a string of additional terror attacks in Israel and the West Bank. Another six members of the security forces were killed in clashes with terror operatives in the West Bank.

In mid-October, a policeman was killed and four people wounded when a terrorist opened fire along the Route 4 highway north of the coastal city of Ashdod, and a man was killed in a terror-stabbing rampage in Hadera the previous week. Seven people were killed and at least eight wounded in a shooting and stabbing attack in Jaffa on October 1, just minutes before Iran launched a massive ballistic missile attack on Israel.

Agencies contributed to this report.

Plot to attack Israelis backed by a foreign power

 

Plot to attack Israelis backed by a foreign power

Sunday Times, October 27, 2024

The Police have averted what would otherwise have turned out to be a massacre of Israelis in a synagogue in Arugam Bay on the southeast coast.

The attacks had been planned for a day between October 19 and 24 during a largely attended religious event that was taking place, according to intelligence sources. They said investigations were underway to ascertain to what extent a foreign power was backing the plot to carry out the attack, including money spent, any possible training and other support they may have given.

The reason behind the planned attack was to protest Israeli Defence Forces military offensives in Gaza and Lebanon where thousands of civilians including children are being slaughtered. The war began after Hamas militants carried out an attack inside Israel where 1,200, mostly civilians were killed and 250 more were taken hostage on October 7, last year.

A dangerous outcome of such an attack would have been the adverse impact on Muslim villages that are near Arugam Bay. The closest town is Pottuvil where half the population are Muslims.  It is five kilometres or 3.8 miles from this popular coastal resort. The blame would have been placed on the Muslims there and the perpetrators or their masterminds going unnoticed, at least for some time. Similarly, there were fears that attacks were possible in the southern towns of Ahangama, Ahungalla and other coastal areas frequented by Israelis.

Sri Lankan agencies uncovered information on a plot to attack the Arugam Bay synagogue (the house of worship and communal centre for Jewish congregation), in early October. However, the information they had at that time was very sketchy and they were not clear on the details of the plot. Hence, a group of suspected persons had been placed under surveillance. Thereafter two Sri Lankans, one from a Colombo suburb, another from the north, and a Maldivian were arrested. The latter is the son of a Maldivian father and Sri Lankan mother. They are now being held on detention orders under the Prevention of Terrorism Act. The Maldivian national, a Sinhala speaker, is said to have possessed two mobile phones and held several addresses. Police are on the lookout for two more people who are known to be abroad. They have travelled on many occasions to Sri Lanka. All these people are said to have been serving prison sentences in a local jail for varied offences. Defence Secretary, Air Vice Marshal Sampath Thuyacontha, this week had a meeting with Maldivian High Commissioner Masood Imad on matters related to the suspect from his country. No details were immediately available. A resident of Mawanella has been arrested separately after he was found loitering around the house of the Israeli Consul General at Nedimale, Dehiwala. He is being questioned.

Arugam Bay has remained a popular destination for tourists who are attracted by the seas known to be the best for surfing. More than half the tourists are said to be Israelis. In recent years, synagogues have sprung up in the area and restaurants serving kosher food (or food fit or proper as it relates to Jewish dietary law) are not only serving their needs, but some are also receiving payment in foreign currency. One synagogue is now ending construction not far away from a Muslim Mosque. Television footage screened by local channels this week showed Arugam Bay scenes which were reminiscent of the separatist war days with a heavy presence of Police Special Task Force commandos and their armoured patrol vehicles. In other areas where attacks were feared, heavy military security has also been placed in addition to the presence of armed police.

The arrests by the Police on October 7 and the investigations thereafter had remained secret. The reason was the absence of a full picture of the plot by the relevant authorities. Resultantly, the parties concerned, particularly Israel and the United States, have not been apprised of the development. Rather unfortunately, with a new government in office only for a month, there had been an unprecedented element of amateurism that had crept in. Otherwise, an early appraisal would have resulted in a twofold benefit—One: valuable intelligence inputs from those countries, known to be the best in the world, would have been immensely useful. Two: A joint investigation below the radar until the plot was completely unravelled. That would not only have saved much embarrassment for Sri Lanka worldwide but most importantly avoided a bad fallout on the tourism industry. Now, they are all fully geared to receive tourists for the winter season.

The United States Embassy in Colombo posted on its website the threats faced by their nationals visiting Sri Lanka. It said, “The Embassy received credible information warning of an attack targeting popular tourist locations in the Arugam Bay area. Due to the serious risk posed by this threat, the Embassy imposed a travel restriction on Embassy personnel for Arugam Bay effective immediately and until further notice.

“U.S. citizens are strongly urged to avoid the Arugam Bay area until further notice.

“Actions to Take:

• Report all suspicious activity and emergencies to local authorities (119).
• Always maintain vigilance and be aware of your surroundings. Trust your gut, if a situation doesn’t feel right, get out of it.
• Always have some form of communication on you (i.e. cell phone).
• Monitor local media for news and updates.“

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The US Embassy warning received worldwide publicity. This was followed immediately by other members of the so-called Five Eyes, besides the US – the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Even their adversary Russia joined in the task. Immediately thereafter, the Reuters news agency reported: “JERUSALEM/COLOMBO, Oct 23 (Reuters) – Israel’s national security council called on Israelis on Wednesday to immediately leave some tourist areas in southern Sri Lanka over the threat of a possible terrorist attack. The agency said the warning pertained to the area of Arugam Bay and beaches in the south and west of Sri Lanka, and stemmed from “current information about a terrorist threat focused on tourist areas and beaches.

“The security council did not specify the exact nature of the threat and called on Israelis in the rest of Sri Lanka to be cautious and refrain from holding large gatherings in public areas.

“The Israeli security establishment … is in close contact with the security authorities in Sri Lanka and is following the developments.”

It is against this backdrop that the government went into action. Cabinet spokesperson Vijitha Herath held a special news briefing from the office of the Ministry of Public Security on October 24. He holds that portfolio. He said that on Tuesday, foreign intelligence agencies had warned of a potential threat. The matter was taken up at the National Security Council (NSC) which has been meeting periodically. Security have been strengthened in Arugam Bay and other tourist areas like Bandarawela, Ella, Matara, Weligama and Ahungalla. Warning that people should not use this situation to “intimidate others for political gain,” the Minister said foreign countries were “already satisfied with the measures we have taken.”

He claimed they have gained confidence on their part to send their citizens to Sri Lanka and justified their travel advisories since they were mandatory “by a diplomatic mission in any country.” However, there has been no stoppage of tourists, he said. He asserted that “we have already brought the situation under control. Hence, there is no need for foreign tourists to panic.” He also declared that the picture the government had at the beginning was sketchy. Herath denied media reports that an Indian intelligence agency had provided the government reports warning of an attack. “This is false,” he said. Despite Minister Herath’s assertions, the warnings from the US as well as their four allies remain on their websites. So does the one from Russia.

The threats to the tourism industry from the advisories of the United States and Israel and their allies cannot be taken lightly. Those wanting to avenge Israeli atrocities on civilians will continue to look out for soft targets. It is noteworthy that Minister Herath has set the record right from the government’s position. However, that seems only the tip of the iceberg. No effort has still been made to meet those key players in the local tourism industry to obtain their views on how best the situation could be neutralized. Thus the views of their foreign principals are also not known.  Sri Lanka diplomatic missions overseas have also not known how to react since no instructions have gone out. Nor has there been a formal official government statement. This is particularly in the light of the wide publicity worldwide the travel warnings from the two countries and their allies have received. That an adverse impact on the tourism industry would by extension affect the country’s economy is no secret. It comes at a time when the new government is engaged in an exercise to change Sri Lanka still being classified as “bankrupt.”

One is reminded of the events that played out as results of the presidential election kept coming in during the early hours of September 22. When the news spread that Anura Kumara Dissanayake of the National People’s Power (NPP) was on the road to victory, reports circulated that Central Bank Governor Nandalal Weerasinghe was preparing his letter of resignation. One of those who heard this was a former United National Party (UNP) stalwart. He telephoned two NPP leaders, Vijitha Herath and Bimal Ratnayake. Both responded to him within an hour. They sought his good offices to urge Governor Weerasinghe not to leave. “What about the Treasury Secretary?” asked Weerasinghe. The stalwart said he would phone him as well. There was another round of calls. Both said they were staying behind. Last week, the duo was in the Sri Lanka delegation to Washington DC for talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).  Its Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said that they were encouraged by the commitment of Sri Lankan authorities to continue the reforms to safeguard the hard-won gains under the IMF programme. An IMF team is due in Colombo for talks on another tranche of its Extended Fund Facility (EFF)⍐.