It was reported Sunday that the suicide bomber who blew himself up in Tel Aviv on Friday, killed 19 Israelis and injuring some 120 others, was Said Hassan Hotari, 22, a Jordanian resident and a member of Hamas' military wing.
Hamas claimed responsibility for the suicide bombing two days earlier in Tel Aviv that left 20 dead, including the bomber, and around 120 injured, in a statement faxed to AFP.
The Ezzeddin A Qassam Brigades "will continue their martyr (acts) until all our rights are recovered and they announce their determination to avenge all the martyrs and to defend the Al Aqsa mosque and Palestine with their souls," the statement added.
According to Radio Israel, Hotari has served in Jordan’s armed forces.
Earlier, a Hamas official revealed the identity of the attacker, but fell short of claiming responsibility.
"He is the hero Said Hotari, of the city of Qalqilya" in the West Bank, Damascus-based Hamas political bureau member Mussa Abu Marzuk told AFP.
Palestinian sources quoted by the Palestinian Information Center (PIC), a pro-Hamas online news site, said that Hotari was an electrician living with his brother in Qalqilya. His family in Amman opened a house "to receive condolences" after they received initial information that their son was the one who carried out the bombing.
PIC said that Hotari was a close friend of Fadi Atallah, a Hamas member who carried out a suicide attack in April.
The sources described Said as a quiet young man, a karate athlete and a practicing Muslim.
The PIC report says Said was previously arrested for 12 days by the PA's Preventive Security, who allegedly tortured him.
Meanwhile, the Israeli daily Maariv reported Sunday that the police were looking for three other Palestinian suicide bombers believed to have entered Israel, together with a fourth who carried out the Tel Aviv blast on Friday.
The paper quoted security sources as saying the three were waiting for instructions to take their turn.
An eyewitness was quoted as saying that on Friday night, he saw a car with 3-4 “Arabs” inside; he tried to start a conversation about his interest in buying the car, but it did not get any further.
Maariv said the police did not know exactly where the suspected bombers were, but had linked the information to a statement by the Islamic Jihad earlier Friday that five of its members were ready to attack.
Many reports have pointed at the group as the party behind the most severe attack on Israel in five years – Albawaba.com
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