Bus driver thwarts suicide bomber

A bus driver thwarted a suicide bomber today when he alerted Israeli police to a suspicious passenger who was found to have a explosives belt strapped to his body.

The bus was travelling from Jerusalem to the nearby Jewish West Bank settlement of Maale Adumim when the driver spotted the passenger.

The driver stopped at an Israeli police checkpoint and informed officers there of his suspicions, said police spokesman Koby Zariyahu.

The man attacked the border policeman who was questioning him, Zariyahu said, but was overpowered by others who discovered he was wearing a explosives belt. He was then arrested, and witnesses said the detainee was beaten by policemen.

Explosives experts diffused the bomb at the scene and searched the bus for additional explosives.