Fatah Tricks a 12-Year-old Boy into Becoming a Suicide Terrorist

(ISS) On March 15, 2004, IDF soldiers detained a 12 year-old Palestinian boy, Abdallah Quran, while he was attempting to smuggle a powerful bomb through the Hawara checkpoint, south of Nablus. Two Nablus based Fatah-Tanzim terrorists had exploited the boy’s innocent appearance, and used him to carry an fully armed explosive device through the checkpoint.

The boy, who works as a porter in the area, told the soldiers that he was unaware that he was even carrying the bomb. The terrorists, members of Arafat’s own Fatah faction, had planned to use the boy as an unwitting suicide bomber, intending to detonate the explosives with a mobile phone as the boy passed near the Israeli soldiers manning the checkpoint.

The IDF soldiers noticed the suspicious looking bag in the boy’s possession, examined it, and found a 7-10 kg explosive charge packed with metal shards and shrapnel. A sapper arrived at the scene and safely detonated the device in a controlled explosion. The boy was questioned and subsequently released.

This foiled terrorist attack emphasizes the cynical manner in which terrorist organizations exploit Palestinian children and young people, who can easily pass through crowded areas without arousing suspicion. This practice severely harms the freedom of movement of Palestinian residents who must pass through checkpoints on a daily basis, and further underscores the importance of security checks at the checkpoints.

Since the start of the Palestinian campaign of violence in September 2000, minors have carried out 29 suicide attacks, and since January 2001, more than 40 Palestinian minors have been arrested in thwarted suicide attacks. Since May 2001, 22 shooting and bombing attacks have been executed by minors.