Israelis Thwart Palestinian 'Boy Bomber'

March 25 -- The promise of 70 virgins in paradise and the equivalent of about $20 was all it took to convince a Palestinian teenager to turn himself into a suicide bomber and head for an Israeli checkpoint in the West Bank.

As Israeli soldiers crouched behind barriers at the Hawara checkpoint on Wednesday, a seemingly dazed, yet eerily composed Hussam Abdu raised his hands, revealing a vest of explosives strapped to his body.

It was an amazing scene, repeatedly played on the international news networks just days after Israeli missile strikes killed Hamas founder Sheik Ahmed Yassin in Gaza. Hamas had vowed retaliation and everyone — from the Israeli soldiers manning checkpoints to officials at military command centers — was on high alert.

Enter Abdu, the "boy bomber," who was stopped while walking toward the Hawara checkpoint control tower in what seemed like an unusually bulky red sweater and jeans. With Israeli soldiers issuing commands from a distance, the stocky Palestinian lad was made to strip off his sweater.

And there, in the bright March sunlight, under the full gaze of a camera crew, Israeli soldiers and Palestinian pedestrians waiting to cross the checkpoint, a heavy vest-like garment packed with explosives, estimated at 15 to 20 pounds, was revealed to the crowd.

Heart-Stopping Moments

The next few minutes were like an action film in slow motion. The boy froze, hands on his head, as the soldiers barked commands from afar. The military sent a small yellow robot whirring toward Abdu, to bring him scissors to cut off the vest.

But the weight of the vest and the awkward positioning made it difficult for him to snip away the deadly vest.

By now the boy, who gave his age as 14 although his family says he is 16, was visibly beginning to panic. He called for help, pleading that he did not want to blow himself up. But the soldiers remained in their positions as the crowd watched.

Abdu was then ordered to take off the vest and for some heart-stopping seconds, he struggled to rid himself of the explosives-packed garment and dropped it on the road.