Economic jihad. Even a failed attack creates costs in terms of increased security and keeping people from going about their business. “Major terror car bombing averted at Haifa’s Lev Hamifratz mall,” by Yaakov Lappin for the Jerusalem Post, March 21:
A major terrorist car bombing was averted at a Haifa mall on Saturday night when one of several explosive devices hidden in a parked vehicle malfunctioned.
After being alerted by an employee of the Lev Hamifratz shopping center, who reported hearing an explosion, police sappers were dispatched to scan the area.
The sappers found a partially exploded bomb in the trunk of a white Subaru car which was parked outside the shopping center, and registered to a woman who lives in Jerusalem. A further search of the vehicle uncovered several more unexploded bombs, containing dozens of kilograms of explosive material, which were neutralized by the sappers.
“We believe this is a terrorist incident,” a police statement said.
Police immediately moved to evacuate the mall, which was filled with shoppers at the time, and sealed off the area. A major traffic route adjacent to the mall was also closed off to traffic, as police went on high alert across the Haifa area.
On the ground, roadblocks sprang up and police presence was increased in crowded areas.
It was not immediately clear how the vehicle managed to get past security checks at the entrance to the mall….