In Tel Aviv, a man intending to throw away his trash found something more sinister in the can: a gas canister wrapped in electrical tape. According to YnetNews, this could have been a potentially devastating attack.
The publication added that a high-raking police official told them, “If the bomb had exploded, it would have caused many casualties.”
The man immediately called police, who wasted no time in dispatching large numbers of police officers - mainly due to the tense security situation. An initial examination immediately revealed that this was more than just another suspicious object and could potentially explode. In a rare move, the Yarkon District Police commander ordered all nearby streets closed as a precaution.Bomb technicians who arrived at the scene knew that the danger was real, and a robot was dispatched to investigate the object. The examination increased the technician’s suspicions after the robot removed the gas canister and found that it had been seated on small plastic bottles full of accelerants, as well as a box full of nails and pesticides.
An in-depth investigation revealed that the explosive materials had no trigger mechanism, which would be needed to cause an explosion. According to police assessments and witness testimonies, the event was likely of a criminal nature; however the identity of the intended target is still unclear.
Israel has seen an increase in attacks from neighboring Palestinians, who have shot and stabbed innocent Israelis with more frequency in the past few weeks. Most of the attacks have been stabbings. This has caused Israelis to arm themselves with whatever they could find, with mothers taking self-defense classes along with their children. Many are lining up for their firearms permits, as the government loosened restrictions on the application process due to the increasing violence. Blessedly, this incident concluded without any casualties.