The police and Shin Bet concluded on Monday that the explosion next to a truck in the Hatikva neighborhood in Tel Aviv on Sunday was a failed terror attack.
Law enforcement estimates that the terrorist, a resident of Palestinian Authority-controlled territory who carried the bomb in a backpack, attempted to carry out the first bombing attack in Tel Aviv in years. A "work accident" apparently caused the bomb to detonate prematurely and killed him.
"Last night, since the evening hours, officers from the Tel Aviv District Police, police explosives experts, and forensic experts, together with the ISA worked at the scene of the incident where an explosive device exploded on Lehi Street in Tel Aviv and have been carrying out the investigative actions in coordination with the ISA. Now, after all actions have been carried out, we can say that it was a terror attack using a high-powered explosive device," the police and Shin Bet wrote in a joint statement.
The Hamas and Islamic Jihad terror groups took responsibility for the failed attack. The Hamas terror group said that the terror attempts will continue so long as the war in Gaza and the assassinations of terrorists continue.
Kan military correspondent Itay Blumental reported that the terrorist was from Shechem (Nablus) and entered Israeli territory illegally.
Earlier in the day, a police source stated: "The explosion in Tel Aviv was with 99% certainly a terrorist attack that was prevented, it is being checked if the terrorist came from the Palestinian Authority territories."
Assistant Commissioner Haim Bublil, the commander of the Ayalon Precinct in the Tel Aviv District, told Kan Reshet Bet: "We have a more grounded estimate that this was an attack. It's sort of a miracle that it didn't detonate in the nearby synagogue or shopping center. It could have ended with dozens killed.
As reported, a man of about 50 was killed on Sunday evening in an explosion on Lehi Street in Tel Aviv. The MDA team that was called to the scene pronounced him dead.
At the same time, a 33-year-old bystander who was moderately injured by shrapnel was treated and taken to Ichilov Hospital.
Tel Aviv District Police Commander Peretz Amar stated at the scene: "The man who was killed was not an innocent civilian but rather was carrying the bomb. We are attempting to identify the body. The terror angle is very relevant."
One of the suspicions is that the man was a terrorist who was taking the bomb from the Hatikva neighborhood where it exploded as the result of a "work accident." Therefore, the truck that was nearby caught most of the shrapnel. The Tel Aviv District Commander noted that the man worked alone and had no accomplices.