Ashkelon resident cited for reporting first floating bomb

By YAAKOV LAPPIN
Public Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch presented Ashkelon resident Vladimir Gutretz with a citation for outstanding citizenry on Thursday, for reporting the first canister bomb that washed up on Israel’s southern shoreline earlier this week.
Gutretz was fishing on Ashkelon’s Hofit Beach on Tuesday when he noticed the canister wash up on shore. A bomb squad was called in to neutralize the device, which was estimated to contain between 15 and 20 kilograms of explosives.
“Thanks to your awareness and responsibility, you prevented a disaster which could have occurred had the device exploded,” Aharonovitch said on Thursday. “I hope you continue to enjoy fishing without encountering any more bombs.”
Aharonovitch described the floating bombs as “another technique employed by murderous terrorist organizations who do not cease trying to come up with new ways to murder innocents.”
He added, “the relative calm on the borders can sometimes be deceptive. Law enforcement agencies will be on alert and ready for any scenario, on any front, both criminal and security.”
Gutretz said after receiving the award, “At the Intel corporation where I work, there is a regulation, according to which every employee must report a [data] security incident he dealt with, once a month. My manager said I’m exempt from this duty for the rest of the year.”