JERUSALEM (EJP)—A Palestinian terrorist wearing an explosive belt was captured by security forces at the buzy Tapuah Junction in the northern part of Samaria (West Bank), an Israeli army spokesperson announced.
The arrest, the IDF said, prevented a suicide bomb attack possibly against soldiers stationed nearby.
The security forces who apprehended the man, a Nablus resident in his 20s, as he was wearing a suspiciously large coat in an exceptionally hot Spring day (35-degree-Celsius or 95 degrees Farenheit), found 12 pipe bombs strapped to his body.
The bomb disposal unit was brought to the scene and neutralized the explosive.
Israel’s Public Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch, whose ministry oversees the Border Police, praised Border Policemen who prevented the suicide bombing attack.
“Your vigilance and professionalism led to the capture of a terrorist with an explosive belt,” Aharonovitch told the policemen in a phone conversation shortly after the Friday morning incident.
“You prevented an attack and saved lives, and I’m proud of you and your professional excellence,” he said.
Channel 2 news tv reported that the attack was planned for a city inside Israel.
“This is a serious escalation in the attempt by Palestinians to harm innocent civilians,” said Gershon Mesika, chairman of the Shomron Regional Council, the local government of the area’s Jewish settlements. “It is clear that [the Palestinians’]intentions are not peaceful, and it’s time for the Israeli government to recognize this.”
The safety of Israeli civilians has been under constant threat: whether by way of rocket attacks, attempted kidnappings, suicide bombings and even the slaughtering of children in their sleep.