Posted on 06/01/2002 12:31:21 PM PDT by blam
Suicide bombing suspect was victim of mistaken identity
It's emerged a Jewish Israeli woman cited for possible involvement in a Palestinian suicide bombing was a victim of mistaken identity.
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's office says Marina Pinsky has no links to the May 22 attack that killed two Israelis.
She "is not connected to the incident," said the statement from Sharon's office.
The woman arrested the day after the bombing, Irena Plitzik, is a Ukrainian Christian who was carrying a forged identity card in the name of Marina Pinsky.
The prime minister's office acknowledged the mistake 10 days after bombing and nine days after the arrest.
On Thursday, Israeli authorities allowed a small number of journalists to interview the arrested woman, who was presented to the media as Pinsky, not Plitzik. Israeli newspapers printed front page stories on Friday.
In addition to the false ID that Plitzik carried, another cause of confusion was that the two women each married men named Ibrahim Sarachne. The two men are cousins.
Israeli authorities say Plitzik's fake ID and the Israeli-licensed car, driven by her husband, helped them pass Israeli security checkpoints, allowing them to leave the West Bank and enter Israel.
Story filed: 16:55 Saturday 1st June 2002
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