Mike's Place suicide bombing

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Mike's Place suicide bombing: On April 30, 2003, at about 12:45 am, a Palestinian suicide bombing struck Mike's Place, a bar in Tel Aviv, Israel. The attack was carried out by two British nationals, Asif Muhammad Hanif and Omar Khan Sharif, who were affiliated with Hamas and the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades. They entered Israel from Jordan and rented a room near the bar. Investigators found an explosive belt, explosives, and a map showing Mike's Place in their hotel room. The bomber blew himself up at the bar entrance, killing three Israeli civilians and injuring more than 50. A security guard, Avi Tabib, blocked the attacker from entering the bar and helped prevent more deaths. Hamas and the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades claimed joint responsibility for the attack.

Sharif’s explosive device for a second attack failed to detonate; he threw away his belt, fled, and reached the David Intercontinental Hotel, where he struggled with a security guard trying to steal an ID. His undetonated bomb had been hidden in a book. Sharif’s body washed ashore at Tel Aviv beach on May 12 and was identified on May 19; forensic experts said he drowned. Despite the attack, the bar reopened on Israeli Independence Day. Five days before the bombing, Hanif and Sharif visited an International Solidarity Movement office and met volunteers at a Rachel Corrie memorial. A documentary called Blues by the Beach covers the bar, the attack, and its impact.