Man and woman arrested in Hadar neighborhood after police discover their car is packed with explosives.
By YAAKOV LAPPINpolice sappers haifa thwarted attack 248(photo credit: Channel 10)
Police in Haifa averted a major criminal bombing on Thursday afternoon after pulling over a car for a routine check and discovering that it was packed with explosives.
The blue Pontiac vehicle was stopped in Haifa's Hadar neighborhood.
"Upon searching the vehicle, which look substantially suspicious, suspicious objects were found. A police bomb squad was bought in to examine them," Israel Police Spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said.
Police neutralized a number of explosives found in the car.
A male and female - occupants of the vehicle - were questioned and arrested, Rosenfled added.
"An examination of the scene leads us to believe this is criminally-motivated," Rosenfeld said.
Roads surrounding the scene were cordoned off, leading to large traffic jams in the area.
Police have obtained a court-imposed media gag on details of the investigation.
