25 years after the Sbarro bombing, one family is still fighting to bring Ahlam Tamimi to justice
A quarter-century after the Jerusalem bombing, Malki Roth's parents are still confronting the decisions, prisoner deals, and international failures they believe allowed Ahlam Tamimi to remain free.
On August 9, 2001, 15 people were senselessly killed and 60 were wounded, including 11 children, when a homemade explosive device detonated inside a Sbarro pizzeria in Jerusalem. The victims included Malki Roth, a 15-year-old Israeli girl, and her friend, Michal Raziel, 16. The attack occurred during a typical summer day, just before the start of the school year, in the midst of the Second Intifada.
The perpetrator, Ahlam Tamimi, a Jordanian journalism student, had entered Israel and chosen the Sbarro pizzeria as her target due to its popularity with children. Tamimi was later captured by Israeli forces and sentenced to 16 consecutive life terms. The Roth family, American citizens, lost their daughter and granddaughter, while another American family also suffered devastating losses.
The victims' families faced an arduous mourning process, with Tamimi serving as a reminder of the tragedy.
Written by urgent.news from Jerusalem Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written; read the original for the full account.
