Residents and shopkeepers in Me\'ah She\'arim held a thanksgiving prayer ceremony this morning, following the discovery and safe dismantling of a car bomb in the neighborhood yesterday. Hundreds of young residents vented their rage early yesterday evening, throwing bottles on policemen and journalists. Yehuda Meshi-Zahav, who generally takes charge of hareidi protest activities, condemned the attacks. Yesterday was the third time in the past several weeks that a major bomb attack had been thwarted in the Me\'ah She\'arim vicinity.
Shimon Raosh, the parking inspector who first raised the car bomb alert, told Arutz-7 what happened:
\"I received a radio call to go to Me\'ah She\'arim St. to ticket an illegally parked car. I arrived there at around 2:30 PM, and saw the car - a new Mazda - sticking out into the street. I suspected something, but I checked around first before I gave the ticket. I also saw that the trunk looked a little open. I started writing the ticket, thinking that I would check further afterwards. As I entered the license number on my little gadget, the screen showed that it was a stolen car. As soon as I saw that, I started yelling to everyone, to all the passersby and the storekeepers, to get away from the area.\"
When asked why he was so quick to suspect a bomb, he said, \"Look, we have received many briefings on this topic, and when it comes to something like this, I didn\'t want to take any chances... Some people didn\'t leave right away, but a few people called the police, who arrived quickly. They cleared the area, and the rest is known... To know that I saved a lot of people is, believe me, the biggest gift I could receive.\"
Speaking on national television today, Kiryat Arba-resident Raosh said, \"I would just like to add two things: First, I was merely an emissary of G-d, as are the police and the others working to protect us. Secondly, I call upon the public to be extra cautious and alert during this period...\"
Shimon Raosh, the parking inspector who first raised the car bomb alert, told Arutz-7 what happened:
\"I received a radio call to go to Me\'ah She\'arim St. to ticket an illegally parked car. I arrived there at around 2:30 PM, and saw the car - a new Mazda - sticking out into the street. I suspected something, but I checked around first before I gave the ticket. I also saw that the trunk looked a little open. I started writing the ticket, thinking that I would check further afterwards. As I entered the license number on my little gadget, the screen showed that it was a stolen car. As soon as I saw that, I started yelling to everyone, to all the passersby and the storekeepers, to get away from the area.\"
When asked why he was so quick to suspect a bomb, he said, \"Look, we have received many briefings on this topic, and when it comes to something like this, I didn\'t want to take any chances... Some people didn\'t leave right away, but a few people called the police, who arrived quickly. They cleared the area, and the rest is known... To know that I saved a lot of people is, believe me, the biggest gift I could receive.\"
Speaking on national television today, Kiryat Arba-resident Raosh said, \"I would just like to add two things: First, I was merely an emissary of G-d, as are the police and the others working to protect us. Secondly, I call upon the public to be extra cautious and alert during this period...\"