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Breaking News

Terror Attack Kills Three People Near Tel Aviv

Aired May 27, 2002 - 13:02   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: And now at least three people are dead in an apparent suicide bombing outside Tel Aviv this hour. More than two dozen people were wounded.

And for the latest, we go to CNN's Jerrold Kessel live in Jerusalem -- Jerrold.

JERROLD KESSEL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Carol, two Israelis killed by the suicide bomber who blew -- who blew himself up just outside Tel Aviv in the town of Petah Tikva. The -- that's outside an open-air cafe. The two dead include a little girl and a woman, we understand, from hospitals in Tel Aviv. And there are also more than 30 people wounded. Among them, five children, one a 3-year-old girl who is in -- reported in critical condition was hit in the stomach and is undergoing an operation at this time.

The bomber apparently walked up to the -- to the open-air restaurant --cafe in this -- just outside a shopping mall. And as he approached the people who were sitting down at the cafe, and we understand there were many children with their parents there -- this is just outside a shopping mall, it is -- also next door is a -- an ice cream parlor -- blew himself up causing all those casualties. They rushed off to hospital and within an hour and from hospitals, we understand, 33 people have been treated so far, others also for shock, among them a number of children.

It's now reported by the Israeli police that there had been an alert earlier in the afternoon. That people -- bombers -- would-be bombers had planned to come out of the West Bank of Palestinian towns there. Israeli police were on the alert, but apparently the bomber managed to slip through. It's not clear how, but it is wise to point out that the border between Israel and the West Bank is just about no more than 10 miles, if that, probably about 8 miles away from the town of Petah Tikva, perhaps even less than that by road. Petah Tikva just east of Tel Aviv off on the narrow waist of Israel in the heart of the country.

So repeating then the details of this latest seemingly Palestinian terror attack in an Israeli city, a suicide blowing -- blown up and killing in so doing two Israelis, including a little girl and a woman, and wounding more than 30, among them, a number of children -- Carol.

LIN: All right, thank you very much. Jerrold Kessel with the latest out of Jerusalem.

And for our audience, please stay tuned throughout the day. We've been getting updates every few minutes on this breaking news story outside of Tel Aviv. As Jerrold said, two girls and a woman dead in that explosion. One of those people is, according to Israeli police, the suicide bomber. Thirty-three people now being treated at hospitals.

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