An attempted suicide bombing in Tel Aviv last summer was executed under the direction of a Hamas commander operating in Turkey, Israeli investigators said Tuesday.
The Tel Aviv District Police and the Shin Bet security agency announced in a statement that the assailant, identified as Nablus resident Jaafar Muna, and nine accomplices received funding and technical support from Abada Bilal, a senior Hamas member who relocated to the West Asian nation after his release from prison in 2011.
The August 18 incident was interrupted when Muna's backpack bomb detonated prematurely, leading to the terrorist's death and causing moderate injuries to a nearby pedestrian.
The surviving participants are currently in custody and are expected to be indicted on terrorism charges.
The revelations follow a recent report by The Wall Street Journal indicating Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar has instructed his subordinates to deploy the deadly tactic across the Jewish state.
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