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Disaster averted as bomb explodes on bus after passengers evacuated | The Times of Israel.

( Nasralla said he’d get revenge… ? – JW )

Sapper reportedly lightly injured while trying to defuse device in apparent Bat Yam terror attack

The bus in Bat Yam after a bomb on board exploded Sunday. (photo credit: Yossi Zeliger/Flash90)

An explosive device blew up on a bus in Bat Yam on Sunday afternoon, but riders were saved as an alert passenger and bus driver had ordered the vehicle evacuated after noticing the bomb.

Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said no one was hurt in Sunday’s blast, though some Israeli media outlets reported a police sapper was lightly injured in the hand when the bomb exploded.

Police sources said that early indications pointed to an apparent terror attack.

The explosion damaged the Dan No. 240 bus, which was stopped at the time on the corners of Mivtza Sinai and Katznelson streets in the coastal city, which borders Tel Aviv on the south.

Pictures from the scene showed windows blown out at the back of the bus.

Passengers had been evacuated from the bus after a suspicious package was discovered, according to a Dan Company spokesperson.

“A passenger alerted the driver about a suspicious bag located behind the back door of the bus,” the spokesperson said. “The driver stopped the bus and examined the bag. He saw electrical wires attached to the bag and ordered all passengers off the bus, leaving after them. He then called police sappers.”

Bud Driver Michael yagur deflected praise that he had saved the dozen or so passengers on the bus.

“I’m a hero? What hero? One of the passengers told me there’s a suspicious bag on the bus. I asked whose bag it is. When they told me it didn’t belong to anyone, I took the passengers off the bus. I stopped at the bus stop and the people got off, the police dispatch arrived at the scene and ten minutes later the bus exploded,” he said.

A police sapper was attempting to defuse the bomb when it exploded, according to Army Radio.

“At this point in time we are under the impression that the incident was nationalistic. I urge the public to be aware and report any suspicious activity to the police,” Public Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch said, according to Walla News.

The Dan spokesperson praised the passenger and driver for their quick thinking.