I'm telling you, they have run out of bomb makers. They even had to get these three out of jail!
Posted on 04/23/2004 8:56:08 PM PDT by HAL9000
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) -- Palestinian militants stormed a Palestinian police station in Gaza City and released three men with possible links to a deadly bombing of a U.S. diplomatic convoy, an American official said Friday.A fourth man refused to leave with the three, saying he was waiting to be formally released by Palestinian authorities in accordance with a March decision by a Palestinian court.
"We succeeded in freeing three of our brothers,'' Abu Abir, a spokesman for the Popular Resistance Committees militant group, told The Associated Press. "An effort is being made with the Palestinian Authority to release the one who remains behind bars.''
Although news of the incident only emerged on Friday, Abu Abir said it took place on Tuesday.
"This is another sign of the lack of seriousness that the Palestinians have shown in this investigation since the beginning,'' said the American official, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Three American security guards were killed in the October 2003 attack on the convoy, the first on a U.S. target in more than three years of Israeli-Palestinian fighting.
The United States criticized the Palestinian investigation into the blast and the subsequent closed trial of the suspects in a military court. U.S. officials threatened to cut back aid until the bombers are caught.
A day after the bombing, Palestinian security forces in Gaza arrested seven members of the Popular Resistance Committees, an umbrella network of militant groups that have used powerful roadside bombs against Israeli tanks. Other members were arrested over time, but most of the suspects were subsequently released.
The remaining four were charged with manslaughter for planting bombs aimed at Israeli tanks that might also have hit the convoy. A Palestinian judge ruled in March there was not enough evidence to hold them and ordered them freed.
It was not clear why they were still in custody a month later, but Palestinian bureaucracy often moves slowly.
U.S. diplomats and even Palestinian security sources have questioned whether the men were the real culprits or convenient scapegoats. There had been some expectation that their arrest would deflect U.S. pressure on Palestinian investigators.
Some Palestinian officials said the real perpetrators of the attack could be linked to Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's own Fatah organization, or even to the security forces.
The United States has offered a $5 million reward for information about the attackers. Palestinian security officials say no one has claimed the bounty.
I'm telling you, they have run out of bomb makers. They even had to get these three out of jail!
The terrorist groups are still strong. The reason there haven't been any terror attacks is because of Israeli intercepts and great intelligence.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.