An Israeli bus. Photo: Wikipedia.

A terrorist attack in Bat Yam, Israel was thwarted Sunday by a vigilant bus driver.

The driver, Michael Yuger, was told by one of his passengers about a large suspicious black knapsack in the back of the number 240 bus he was driving. He immediately had all 15 passengers get off and alerted Israeli security forces.

The bomb exploded as a police sapper attempted to diffuse the device. A police officer was lightly injured and was taken to a nearby hospital.

The bus driver however, claims he is not a hero.

“One passenger saw wires and a big pot after he opened the bag to check it. We all got off. About ten minutes after discovering the knapsack the bomb went off,” he said.

Minister on Internal Security, Yitzchak Aharonowitz spoke to the bus company director and commended the driver for his cool and decisive actions which saved many lives.

Police believe that the motivation behind the attack was nationalist.

“At this point we understand that this is an attack with national motivations. I call on the public to stay vigilant and report any outstanding incidents,” Aharonowitz said.

He later held an assessment session with the Israeli police’s top brass, and it was resolved to step up the police presence at main thoroughfares.

Chief of Police, Yochanan Danino, said that “the terror threat is constantly looming, and especially during these days when there is an attempt to make progress in the peace talks.”

The last such attack occurred during Israel’s Operation Pillar of Defense last year, when a bomb was planted on a number 142 bus in Tel Aviv. Twenty nine people were wounded in the incident, one of them critically.