You know what, that is a fair point, so let me link to an article that explains much better than I can how this works. This is how the Israelis handle their suicide bombers and how they prevent 80% of them from hurting anyone:
"A number of attacks have been foiled by police and observant bystanders or because the bombers were careless, acted suspiciously, had trouble with their explosives or backed out at the last minute.
...According to some estimates only about 20 percent of suicide bombers manage to kill or injure anybody and only 5 percent of the attacks kill more than five people.
...
Often times suicide bombers give themselves away. The same police official told Reuters “The terrorist who comes to carry out an attack, I don't want to say it's body language that sends the message because that sounds too far fetched, but it's true."
A number of attacks have been foiled by bus drivers who spotted bombers at bus stops and drove on or subdued the attackers before they could set off their bombs. One bus driver found a suspicious looking watermelon that turned out to be packed with explosives. A bus driver who wrestled an attacker to the ground told Reuters, “I Thought he going to a festival...because there were a lot of young guys like him on the bus. But when I asked him where he was going, he didn't answer, and came up the stairs slowly, cradling a large bag...he looked drugged and hypnotized. I grabbed him by the shirt and asked where he was going, but he still didn't answer. Then I saw a switch sticking out of his bag and I knew I dealing with a terrorist." He then pushed the bomber off the bus and sat on him until soldiers arrived."
From here:
http://factsanddetails.com/world/cat58/sub385/item2363.html
So to those who think it so odd that you might be able to identify a bomber before they set off the explosive, there you have it, from a society much more familiar with suicide bombers than the good old USA.
Thank you for answering a fair point with a fair point. Allow me to continue the trend:
First, we have to acknowledge the greater level of familiarity with suicide bombers in Israel. The general public, and especially people like law enforcement, bus drivers, etc. will be the ones to notice patterns like this.
When I was in my early 20's and a manager at Service Merchandise, I experienced first hand so many customers trying to use stolen credit cards that I could almost tell when they walked in the front door.
If you're not familiar with the store, it was a catalog showroom, which meant you wrote down the items you wanted, went to the counter, and then you would meet your merchandise at a "pick-up" area. This provided the ideal scenario to have the would-be thieves wait for their package while the police showed up instead.
On my first day, I wouldn't have known right off the bat. I might have been excited to make a big sale. But when I learned the average behavior for a person buying an expensive TV or camera (ask a million questions, shop for best price, etc.) that made it easier to spot someone more likely to be a thief (they came in overdressed for a retail store, didn't ask ANY questions about how the items worked, what features they had, etc. and picked the more expensive items without flinching.)
So through experience and familiarity, I became something of an expert
in that unique setting of picking out who was a thief before they even opened their mouths. I got many people arrested while they waited for their packages.
I would expect people living in an area where suicide bomber attempts are much more common than they are here are going to be better able to notice patterns of behavior.
However, nowhere in your article (at least the parts you posted) was it suggested the bus driver shoot the person, or that they did shoot the person successfully. I suspect even police would be cautious about shooting a person strapped with a bomb, because if you shoot just right (incorrectly) then you carry out the suicide bomber's wishes for him/her.
So I think you made my point that having civilians with unknown levels of training shooting because they didn't think it through and think they are Rambo is NOT preferable to screening and other methods (vs. shooting) of subduing or foiling the potential perpetrator.
I don't think the bomb squad would go in guns blazing.
