The mystery of how the two suicide terrorists entered the Ashdod port on Sunday to murder ten Israelis may finally have been solved. Several possibilities had been entertained, including that they arrived via the sea, via an underground tunnel, or over the port’s perimeter fence. However, the discovery today of weapons, a mattress, and food remnants in a container stored in the port - a container that arrived there only a half-hour before the attack - points in a different direction. It now appears that the terrorists arrived inside the co ntainer, which arrived from Arab Gaza via the Karni Crossing to Ashdod, and jum ped out at an opportune moment inside or near the port entrance.

Five fragmentation grenades and other weapons were among the items found in the container today when it passed through a state-of-the-art detection system. The grenades were hidden inside a bag within the double wall of the container. The container, filled with marble slabs, was to be loaded onto a ship leaving for abroad, but remained in the port after the order was canceled. Following today’s find, the port is currently closed, and cargoes are not being loaded or unloaded.

This entry was posted on Friday, March 19th, 2004 and is filed under news.