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Hussam Abdo (born 1989) is a Palestinian who made international headlines on March 24, 2004, when he was apparently forced to enter the Hawara Checkpoint, in West Bank, Israel, carrying bombs as part of a suicide attack attempt. Some sources have 1987 as Abdo's birth year.
While most of the media has said that Abdo was not acting on his own will, Abdo's mother has declared that the boy had expressed desire to go to "paradise", where he believed he would live with seventy two virgins.
According to her, he decided he did not want to die when the moment to commit the attacks arrived. Hussam, Abdo's brother, said that Abdo possesses the intelligence of a twelve year old.
Abdo wore the bomb on a red vest. When he approached the checkpoint, Israeli soldiers noticed he had something on his clothing, and they took cover. When Abdo said he had a bomb, a specialized robot was sent to him so that he could cut off the explosives. He was then searched for more bombs, but none were found. The bomb on Abdo's vest was later exploded at a safe area; it was an eighteen pound bomb.
After being detained, Abdo told soldiers that he did not want to die or explode.
Abdo may or may not belong to the terrorist group al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, which claimed responsibility for the attack. Abdo is one of a growing group of children who have been detected trying to carry out suicide attacks aimed at Jews. As of 2004, there have been at least 29 suicide bombing committed by minors, mainly at ages of 16-18.
See also: child suicide bomber.
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