Body on beach identified as Tel Aviv bomber

It has been confirmed that the body recovered from a beach last week was that of Omar Khan Sharif – the Briton who allegedly took part in a terror attack in Tel Aviv on April 30.

Sharif was identified after DNA samples obtained from the family matched up. Forensic testing on the body also indicates that Sharif probably died from drowning.

Israeli authorities have been searching for the 27-year-old from Derby since the bomb attack on a Tel Aviv bar on April 30. A Briton identified as Asif Muhammad Hanif detonated his bomb at around 1am at a pub on the popular Tel Aviv waterfront promenade. In addition to killing three, a further 60 were injured in the outrage.

The three victims were: Dominique Hess, 29, a French national who worked as a waitress at the bar; Ran Baron, 23, from Tel Aviv, who recently completed his military service; and Yanai Weiss, 46, of Holon, a musician who often performed at the bar.

Omar Khan Sharif was identified by Israeli authorities as a second member of the bomb team who fled the scene after his device failed to explode.

Security forces believe that the pair entered Israel from the Gaza Strip a few hours prior to the attack.

Hamas and the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades of the Tanzim-Fatah have declared joint responsibility for the attack.

Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said he was horrified at what he described as a "totally unjustified attack".

Sharif's sister, brother and wife are expected to appear at the Old Bailey on Monday May 19 to face terrorism-related charges. All three, Zahid Hussain Sharif, 46, Paveen Akthor Sharif, 35, and Tahari Shad Tabassum, 27 are from Derby.

The outrage in Tel Aviv marked the beginning of an intensified phase of terror bombings in Israel as Palestinian groups opposed to the peace 'roadmap' attempted to derail the peace process.

Initial reports today suggest that three people have been killed and a further 18 wounded in a suicide bomb attack at a shopping mall in Afula this afternoon.

The bomber detonated her explosive belt after a security guard prevented her entry into the shopping center.

On Saturday, seven civilians were killed and dozens more wounded after a terrorist attack in Hebron.

An Israeli government spokesman said: "The objective of Palestinian terror, as perpetrated by all of the organizations operating out of the Palestinian Authority areas and from abroad, is to continue to murder civilians, women, children, babies and the elderly simply because they are Jews and Israelis. The goal of the terrorists, their accomplices, those who dispatch them, and those who finance them, is to cause us to despair and lose hope. They will not succeed. The State of Israel will continue to fight terror everywhere, at all times, and in every way possible."

(GMcG)