NY Times Article. Excerpts ... NY Times Article. Excerpts.

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Suicide Bomber Boy
MISSION FIRSTPEOPLE ALWAYSONE TEAM
http//www.nytimes.com/2004/03/25/international/mi
ddleeast/25BOY.html?th
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The Israelis Disarm a Boy With a Bomb
With a bomb hidden under his sweater, a
Palestinian boy in his teens, Hussam Bade,
approached Israeli soldiers on Wednesday at the
same West Bank checkpoint, near Nablus, where
last week another boy was captured with a bomb in
his bag.
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The soldiers made the youth remove his sweater
and reveal the explosives inside a vest.
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The soldiers ordered the youth to remove the
vest, and then strip to show that he had no other
weapons.
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The soldiers then seized the boy.
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The soldiers later safely detonated the bomb.
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NY Times ArticleExcerpts

• HAWARA CHECKPOINT, West Bank, March 24 When the
  Palestinian teenager in a red sweater and blue
  jeans reached the front of the long line and
  began approaching the Israeli soldiers at this
  West Bank checkpoint on Wednesday, he immediately
  aroused suspicion.
• The soldiers were on high alert. Just last week,
  troops at this same checkpoint, on a main road
  leading south from the chaotic city of Nablus,
  captured an 11-year-old boy with a bomb hidden in
  his bag.

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NY Times ArticleExcerpts

• On Wednesday, the soldiers suspected that the
  youth had something under his sweater and
  responded immediately, pointing their automatic
  rifles at Hussam Abdo, who later gave his age as
  14, while his family said he was 16.
• Palestinian teenagers have taken part in attacks
  against Israelis throughout the three and a half
  years of fighting. The youngest suicide bomber to
  date was a 16-year-old from Nablus.

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NY Times ArticleExcerpts

• In the propaganda battle that is always a
  component of the Middle East conflict, Israel is
  swift to highlight the Palestinian use of youths
  barely in their teens. In this case much of the
  drama was recorded by an Associated Press
  Television News cameraman, a Palestinian, who was
  among those waiting to cross the checkpoint.
• With the soldiers' guns pointed, Hussam froze,
  raising his hands above his head. The soldiers
  retreated behind large concrete barricades for
  safety, according to accounts by Israeli military
  officers at the scene.

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NY Times ArticleExcerpts

• Hussam was then ordered to remove his sweater,
  which revealed a gray vest with explosives packed
  inside, the kind that is standard issue for
  Palestinian suicide bombers, the military
  officers said.
• As the rest of the story unfolded, it was
  captured on tape by the cameraman.
• The military sent a small yellow robot toward
  Hussam, delivering cutters to remove the vest.
  But the weight of the vest and the explosives,
  estimated at 15 to 20 pounds, made it awkward for
  him to bend over, reach the scissors and cut away
  the straps of the vest.

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NY Times ArticleExcerpts

• A wire believed to be a detonator cord dangled in
  front of his chest. Hussam called for soldiers to
  help, saying he did not want to blow himself up.
  But they remained in their fortified positions,
  shouting orders.
• Hussam struggled but eventually freed himself
  from the vest and dropped it on the road. The
  soldiers then ordered him to strip to his
  underwear to make sure he had no other weapons.
  He was seized by the soldiers, who later
  detonated the bomb in a controlled explosion.
• Israeli military and government officials
  immediately invited journalists to the scene and
  then placed Hussam on display for several minutes.

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NY Times ArticleExcerpts

• "This is another example of the Palestinians'
  cynical use of innocent children, turning their
  kids into human time bombs," said David Baker, an
  official in the office of Prime Minister Ariel
  Sharon. "Palestinian terrorists are ready to
  sacrifice their own children for the express
  purpose of inflicting terror upon Israelis."
• Throughout the conflict a solid majority of
  Palestinians has backed suicide bombings as a
  means for fighting Israel. The level of support
  has declined a bit as the fighting grinds on, and
  some Palestinians have spoken out against the use
  of teenagers.

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Tom RuddI Corps and Fort Lewis FP/AT
Officerruddthom_at_lewis.army.mil