Years of experience, polished intelligence, clear methods make Israeli security forces proficient at preventing suicide attacks By RAMIT PLUSHNICK-MASTI Associated Press Writer JERUSALEM Israel has become proficient at disarming suicide bombers, allowing attackers to be captured alive and lead security forces to their main target _ the mastermind of the strike.
The most recent capture was over the weekend, when high-tech sensors on a security fence alerted forces to the fact that someone had infiltrated Israel from the Gaza Strip. Hours later, the would-be Palestinian suicide bomber was found in near isolated agricultural community with five kilograms (11 pounds) of explosives strapped to his waist. Security forces instructed the teenage attacker to remove the bomb belt and surrender. He complied and was captured alive. "They decided that first of all he has to be caught," said Zeev Schiff, a military analyst for the Israeli daily Haaretz. "Had he resisted or made a wrong move, they would have killed him." Israel's experience has been painfully acquired _ more than 100 Palestinian suicide bombers have killed hundreds over the past five years. Like most security forces, Israeli police and soldiers have clear instructions to shoot to kill if all else fails, and Israeli counterterrorism experts said London's police were not out of line Friday when they shot a Brazilian electrician suspected of being a bomber. Jean Charles de Menezes was wearing a padded jacket and acted in a way that raised suspicions of plainclothes officers, who followed him from an apartment bloc that was under surveillance. The electrician was shot eight times when he ran into a subway car. "They (the British) are nervous, they are frightened ... this leads to more mistakes," Schiff said. "Unfortunately, they will learn." Israel has suffered suicide bomb attacks in public places and buses for more than a decade. During the current conflict, which started in late 2000, 505 people have been killed in 120 Palestinian suicide bombings. As a result, security precautions can be seen everywhere. Restaurants are required to have armed guards checking patrons at the entrance, main bus stations and shopping malls feature airport-style walk-through metal detectors and X-ray machines. For decades, Israeli citizens have been on the lookout for suspicious objects that might be bombs, and on a given day a main street in an Israeli city is likely to be closed while police check a package someone left behind. Despite years of such experience, Israel has made mistakes similar to the shooting in London, but such errors are rare now that other methods are in place to prevent bombers from reaching their target. "There are no good solutions to this dilemma," said Boaz Ganor, a counterterrorism expert. "So long as this phenomenon of suicide attacks is being spread all over the world ... such mistakes are imminent." Suicide attacks are the method of choice for global terrorist groups because of their effectiveness, Ganor said. Although just 0.5 percent of Palestinian attacks during the past five years have been suicide bombings, they have caused about half of Israeli casualties, he said. Preventing a bomber from blowing up once he has reached his target is almost impossible. There are no known cases of Israeli security forces preventing an attack by shooting dead a bomber. On occasion, security guards _ and even civilians _ have wrestled bombers to the ground, but their success was due to the fact that the explosives didn't detonate. Once, a robot handed a captured bomber a pair of scissors that he used to cut an explosives belt off his body. The explosives were later neutralized by sappers. Instead, Israel has shifted its focus to preventing attackers from ever reaching their targets. A security barrier with high-tech sensors alerts forces to infiltrators and serves as a physical obstacle that makes it difficult for Palestinians to get into Israel from the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The West Bank barrier is only one-third complete, but Israeli security experts credit it with stopping many would-be bombers. Targeted killings by the air force and elite combat units eliminated a many leaders of violent Palestinian groups. Also, pinpoint arrest raids have filled Israeli prisons with handlers and masterminds who are privy to plans, helping security agents to prevent future attacks. The key to all of it is good intelligence, especially human intelligence, and cooperation between different branches of security, an area in which Israel has reached unprecedented levels of success, said Eran Lehrman, formerly a member of Israel's intelligence services. Currently, there are also international efforts to develop technology that would make it possible to either detect a bomber from a distance or immobilize the attacker immediately without killing him, Ganor said. "The problem today is that when you try to paralyze someone, you either have to be close to him or it takes a few minutes, which is not good enough," Ganor said. (rpm/ml) 050725 171011 Copyright 2005 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. FAIR USE NOTICE: All original content and/or articles and graphics in this message are copyrighted, unless specifically noted otherwise. All rights to these copyrighted items are reserved. Articles and graphics have been placed within for educational and discussion purposes only, in compliance with "Fair Use" criteria established in Section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976. The principle of "Fair Use" was established as law by Section 107 of The Copyright Act of 1976. 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