Lance Cpl. Mamoya Tahio

Sept 22, 2004 - Lance Cpl. Mamoya Tahio, 20, of Rehovot was one of two Border Policemen killed in a suicide bombing at the French Hill junction hitchhiking post in northern Jerusalem. The Fatah al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades claimed responsibility for the attack.

The suicide bomber, identified as Zayneb Abu Salem, 18, from the Askar refugee camp in Nablus, arrived at the junction from the direction of Jerusalem, wearing a brown veil and holding a bag containing the shrapnel-packed explosive device. Following previous bombings in the same area, passengers can enter the area of the hitchhiking post only after a security check by Border Police officers. Tahio and Menashe Komemi were stationed at a guard post nearby. The bomber tried to pass the officers on her way to the hitchhiking post, but one of the officers, apparently Mamoya Tahio, tried to search her belongings. The two began arguing, and the second officer came out of the guard post. The bomber then detonated the explosives. Tahio was killed instantly; Komemi died in hospital; 17 people were wounded.

Mamoya Tahio immigrated to Israel from Ethiopia in 1991 with his parents and six siblings. He enlisted in the Border Police after studying at Yeshivat Hadarom in Rehovot. "He wanted to end his service as a border policeman in peace," said his sister Matako, 21. Tahio's father, Yosef, said that he had initially been opposed to his son's serving in a dangerous area, but that Mamoya had insisted on it, saying, "Don't worry, I'm doing this for my country. Everything will be all right." Tahio's good friend and fellow Border Policeman Amra Kinda said tearfully after the attack, "He prevented a larger attack using his own body. It was because of him that many people went unharmed. He sacrificed himself for the country. He was very brave. I don't know many more people who would be willing to sacrifice themselves to save others."

Lance Cpl. Mamoya Tahio was buried in the military cemetery in Rehovot. He is survived by his parents, Yosef and Yazwish, and six siblings.