Mahmoud Aqel was short and rugged. He was the same age as Yusef and had originally trained to be a chemistry teacher. When he had lost his entire family in an Israeli helicopter gunship attack on Jenin, he had enlisted with Hamas. Now he taught young suicide bombers the rudiments of making explosives and pipe bombs.
‘Tonight we commence instruction on how to make explosives from simple rock salt,’ Mahmoud began. The four Palestinian boys sitting around the table were listening intently.
‘Some of you might argue that the ammonium nitrate in fertiliser might be more suitable. It is and the Israelis know it, so buying large quantities will draw attention. Rock salt is in abundant supply and is used extensively for cooking so it will not arouse any suspicion.’
Mahmoud spread a large sheet of paper out on the table.
‘Tonight we are making a chlorate-based explosive that starts with the production of sodium chlorate from sodium chloride, commonly known as salt. A word of caution,’ he added, seeing the eagerness on the faces of the teenagers. ‘Explosives are dangerous. Contamination can make them unstable, and friction and heat can cause them to detonate. You need to exercise the utmost care in handling them so they remain in the position of the servant, not the master.’
Mahmoud took them through the process of electrolysis, explaining how the hydrogen produced in the reaction had to be vented through the roof to avoid an explosion, how the saltwater had to be circulated to avoid excessive temperatures developing, how to calculate the sizes of the cathode and the anode to achieve the right current densities, how to collect the crystals of sodium chlorate, how to carefully crush them and mix them with Vaseline, and finally, how to calculate the critical loading density for a pipe bomb.
‘The process might seem time-consuming,’ he said, ‘but the explosive we produce is quite powerful, and it is cheap to make.’
Mahmoud withdrew a short length of piping from a canvas satchel and placed it on the bench. ‘You can see that this pipe is an ordinary piece of medium-sized water pipe, threaded at both ends with two caps. One cap has a small hole drilled into it to take the fuse. The drilling must be done before any explosive is placed in the pipe,’ Mahmoud warned.
Mahmoud then weighed out the explosive on the set of kitchen scales and carefully filled the pipe. ‘Wherever possible use equipment that has a household use,’ he said. ‘Then if you are raided, there are no awkward questions.’ He tamped the explosive into the pipe carefully and packed it with wadding before threading the protruding fuse through the remaining cap and screwing it on.
‘Be careful there is no explosive in the threads of the pipe because the friction can detonate it. Safety is paramount and this is not a job to be rushed. If there are no questions, my friend Yusef has a few words to say on tactics.’
Yusef nodded to Mahmoud, picked up his training manual and moved in front of the group.
‘My friend Mahmoud has given you some excellent instruction tonight, but all that will be to no avail if you fail to reach your target,’ Yusef began, the confidence of many successfully planned attacks evident in his voice.
‘The best means of getting to your target is by public transport, unless it is the transportation itself and the people on it that are the target. Private vehicles are far more likely to be searched. There are a few simple rules outlined in the training manual that you must be familiar with.’ Yusef tapped the cover with his finger for emphasis.
‘Firstly, always try and select a bus or a train that is crowded. Crowded buses and trains are less likely to be checked, and when you are travelling don’t get involved in any discussions. If you are travelling by taxi don’t get involved in a discussion with the driver; some of them are not what they seem. Secondly, get on and off at minor stops and walk part of the way if you have to. Major terminals are more likely to be the subject of surveillance so always assume you are on camera. Make sure your appearance matches the transport. There may be occasions when you will target a first-class compartment. When this is the case you will be given the means to dress accordingly. The same goes for a five-star hotel. If you are carrying important documents, risk putting them in with the normal passengers’ luggage, that way they can’t be found on you if the bus or train is searched. If you are on a train, put your luggage in another carriage. Finally, your documents must be a precise match for whatever cover you are using and you must be thoroughly familiar with them and have rehearsed your answers to any questions. Are there any from you?’
‘What about the selection of targets?’ one of the Palestinian boys asked.
‘That is worked out according to the overall strategy. Obviously your targets will be carefully chosen to inflict maximum damage on the infidels but there are other factors which will also be taken into account. Things like whether or not the target is heavily guarded or under surveillance and whether there is ease of access. And while we’re on surveillance, it is one of our principles that wherever possible you should become completely familiar with a target. If it’s a restaurant you will be given the money to eat there. The exact placement of a pipe bomb can be critical.’
That night Yusef lay awake imagining the bombing of the Hebrew University or the American Colony Hotel in Jerusalem, while not very far away in Mar’Oth, his brother Ahmed was deep in conversation with Giovanni Donelli.
One brother thinking of revenge, the other talking of peace.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Mar’Oth
‘ Y ou must give me the recipe for that, Ahmed, I have never tasted anything quite like it.’ Giovanni leaned back against the cushions that littered the floor of Ahmed Sartawi’s modest mudbrick house.
‘Welcome to Middle Eastern cuisine, although you will have to ask the women of the village for the recipe. It’s a very famous Palestinian dish, Msaqa’a, eggplants baked with onions, tomatoes and spices. Simple, but the secret is in the cooking.
‘And the pancakes?’
‘ Qateyef. Filled with crushed walnuts, coconut, cinnamon and a touch of lemon juice, another famous recipe they will also give you. It is the least we can do after all your kindness.’
‘I’m sure you would have done the same for me.’
‘Perhaps. Although unfortunately there are many who might not. It was not always so but the fighting between the Israelis and the Palestinians has poisoned our people. It has not helped that the West has been so one-sided in its support for the Jews.’
Giovanni studied his host. Ahmed was just in his thirties but his brown face was etched with lines. He had thick black hair, a prominent nose and his dark brown eyes were gentle.
‘Are there problems in this village?’
‘Between the Muslims and the Christians, you mean?’
Giovanni nodded.
‘There were. You had a predecessor. Quite a few years ago but we all still remember him. Father Lonergan was, how do you say it, somewhat rigid. For him Christianity was the only path. That sort of teaching creates a lot of difficulty, especially in a small village like Mar’Oth. You will forgive me for saying so, but if we are to live in harmony together we should be honest with one another. Your predecessor seemed preoccupied. Troubled by something personal, I think, and fond of a drink.’