Haifa Suicide Blasts Kills 15 By Jason Keyser Associated Press Writer Sunday, December 2, 2001; 9:01 AM A suicide bomber detonated nail-studded explosives on a bus in the port city of Haifa on Sunday, police said, killing himself and at least 14 people just hours after Islamic militants set off deadly explosions in downtown Jerusalem. The Palestinian militant group Hamas claimed responsibility for all of the attacks. The attack in Jerusalem occurred just before midnight Saturday. Around noon Sunday, the blast went off in Haifa, a Mediterranean port city to the north. Police officials said the Haifa bomber got on a city bus, paid the fare of about $1.50 and within seconds detonated the explosives. "The bus came down the hill ... and as it leveled out it blew up," witness Rachel Antebe, told Israel Radio. Another witness, Yaakov Vaknin, said he heard a loud blast. "I saw people flying through the air. I heard people screaming," he said. Police officials said at least 12 people were killed in the bus and two pedestrians were crushed to death by the bus when the driver lost control. Rescue service spokesman Avi Zohar said about 40 people were wounded.
