Tel Aviv Police District Commander Peretz Amar commented Monday evening on the failed suicide bombing in Tel Aviv on Sunday night and stated that the fact that the bomb detonated in an open area prevented a mass casualty event.
"If the attack had taken place inside the nearby synagogue, we would have faced a very serious incident that would have been truly tragic," Amar said. "According to our suspicions, the terrorist saw the synagogue and wanted to set off the bomb [there], and detonated it by mistake."
"If it had exploded in a closed place would have caused damage and many casualties," he noted.
He added that the police presence in Tel Aviv has been increased in light of the failed bombing, but there is currently no [intelligence] warning of further attacks.
The terrorist, who was the only person killed in the blast, did not have a criminal or terrorist record prior to yesterday's incident.
Both Hamas and Islamic Jihad claimed reponsibility for the bombing.