Nearly a year after their deaths, the Palestinian group Hamas released a videotape on Monday in which two British suicide bombers spoke about the pride they would take in killing Jews.
The recording, which Hamas said it held off distributing for security reasons, marked the first time a suicide bomber has explained in English his motivation for carrying out an attack in Israel.
"What can I say? The real terrorists are these Israelis. They're really sickos," said Asif Muhahmmad Hanif.
The 22-year-old Briton blew himself up at Mike's Place, a jazz club on Tel Aviv's beach promenade, on April 30, 2003, killing three people in an attack claimed by Hamas. "Muslims are being killed everyday. It is an honour to kill one of those people (Jews)," he said.
Hanif's partner in the attack, 27-year-old Omar Khan Sharif, attempted to detonate his bomb, but failed, then fled the scene. His body later washed ashore on the Tel Aviv beach.
The two bombers entered Israel as tourists and mixed with foreign pro-Palestinian peace activists in the Gaza Strip.
Both men were dressed in military-style uniforms with the words "Qassam Brigades" painted in Arabic on bandanas they wore.

Copyright Reuters, 2004

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