Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) are both claiming a terrorist linked to a major 2012 bus bombing as one of their own after Mohammed Asi was killed today in a firefight with Israeli troops.
Here are two of the posters created for Mohammed Asi. PIJ poster on left, Hamas poster on right. pic.twitter.com/ilRT2Ff7up
— David Barnett (@dbarn225) October 22, 2013
Asi had reportedly helped plan a joint Hamas-PIJ plot to bomb a Tel Aviv bus last fall. Twenty-six people were injured in the explosion. The IDF subsequently broke up the cell that carried out the bombing, but Asi had remained a fugitive.
Asi’s death has triggered a scramble to claim credit for him and the plot. A Hamas website mourned him and reaffirmed the group’s “commitment and determination” to continue battling against Israel. For its part, PIJ held a press conference celebrating Asi.
Some of his accomplices were also captured:
Two Palestinian men alleged to be Aatzi’s assistants, who have been jailed in the past for their involvement with Islamic Jihad, were arrested by security forces on Monday night and held for questioning. “The outcome of this operation emphasizes that terror does not pay,” IDF spokesman Lt. Col. Peter Lerner said in a statement. “Terrorists must know that there is no eluding the extensive intelligence and operational capabilities of the IDF, we will continue to seek out those that attempt to undermine and defy our way of life.”
[Photo: The Israel Project / Flickr]