30-Kg bomb found in Ain al-Hilweh

A bomb estimated to contain 30 kilograms of TNT and set to blow up by remote control, was found Wednesday near the home of a Fatah official in the Palestinian refugee camp of Ain al-Hilweh. Head of the Fatah-dominated Palestinian Armed Struggle in Ain al-Hilweh Brig. Gen. Mahmoud Issa, better known as Lino, told The Daily Star that bomb was discovered at 6:30 a.m. near his home in the camp on the outskirts of the southern city of Sidon. Col. Qotaiba, commander of the Palestinian Armed Struggle in Sidon, said three mortar shells were found inside the bomb that was concealed in a paint bucket. Qotaiba, who also is an explosives expert, said he safely defused the explosive device. He said the bomb, which was set to explode at 2:00 p.m., was attached to two cellphone detonators. “The planned explosion was aimed at causing heavy damage given the timing which coincides with the end of the school day,” Qotaiba told The Daily Star. He pointed to the presence of several schools in addition to a daycare facility and a motherhood center in the vicinity of Lino’s house where the bomb had been planted. This is not the first attempt on the Fatah official's life. Amer Fustoq, Lino’s bodyguard, was shot and killed in Ain al-Hilweh’s vegetable market in Dec. 2011.