UPDATED: SUICIDE BOMBING AT ISRAELI MALL

Suicide bomber kills self, 2 others at Israeli mall
JERUSALEM - A suicide bomber blew himself up among a group of teens near a shopping mall in the seaside city of Netanya on Tuesday, killing himself and two others in the second such attack since a truce was declared five months ago. About 30 people were wounded, two seriously, police said. ...

The blast went off shortly before 7 p.m. near the Sharon Mall in Netanya. Police said a preliminary investigation indicated the bomber blew himself up among a group of teenagers crossing a busy intersection.

Police said they believe there is a link between the attack near the mall and an apparent car bomb explosion some 30 minutes earlier in the Jewish settlement of Shavei Shomron in the West Bank, near Netanya. Police said they have a suspect in the car bombing in custody, and that he belongs to Islamic Jihad. (SEE BELOW)

Netanya is at Israel’s narrowest point, nine miles from the West Bank. The city has been a frequent target of Palestinian bombers, but the number of attacks has dropped sharply in the past year, with completion of a section of Israel’s separation barrier in the area.

Car blast rocks Shavei Shomron
A truck infiltrated into the West Bank settlement of Shavei Shomron and exploded in the center of the settlement Tuesday around 6:30 p.m., wounding only the driver of the vehicle.... The pick-up truck, which had Israeli plates - reducing the suspicion of the settlements' guards - was loaded with three highly explosive gas balloons. The car also contained nails and other sharp materials.

The bomber detonated the explosives after driving about 100 meters into the settlement, alongside a basketball court, Judea and Samaria police reported. When emergency teams approached the truck, which caught fire and remained smoldering long after the explosion, they found the apparent suicide bomber still alive. Rescuers found his right hand tied to the steering wheel and a large boulder weighing down the gas pedal. The bomber said that he was forced to do the bombing, although he did not want to. Magen David Adom medics treated the bomber, who suffered from severe burns.

The security establishment suspected that the Shavei Shomron attack was linked to a Netanya suicide bombing outside of the Sharon Mall, which occurred within an hour. The Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the Netanya attack.