JERUSALEM (VINnews) —The Shin Bet recently foiled an attempt to kidnap an IDF soldier in the Binyamin region. In a joint operation with the IDF and Israeli police, nine Palestinian Arabs were arrested on suspicion of participation in a Hamas terrorist cell in the village of Bidu near Jerusalem
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As part of the Shin Bet’s cooperative operations with the IDF and Israeli Police, nine Palestinian Authority (PA) Arabs were arrested on suspicion of involvement in creation of Hamas terror infrastructure in establishing a Hamas terror infrastructure in Bidu village, located near Maale Hahamisha west of Jerusalem.
During the Shin Bet interrogations, it was revealed that the terrorists were planning to kidnap an IDF soldier. The terrorists also prepared explosives and devices to arm themselves, as well as marking the paths they would use to escape, and gathering intelligence on the routines of the locally deployed soldiers. In addition, the terrorists prepared a place to hide the kidnapped soldier. With the terrorists’ arrests, the kidnapping plan was thankfully thwarted.
The interrogation also revealed that the group was planning to carry out both shooting attacks and attacks using explosive devices, targeting IDF forces in Binyamin. In order to carry out their intentions, the terrorists learnt how to manufacture explosives and even set up a homemade lab to prepare explosives within a residential home.
In the lab, which was found and sealed during the Shin Bet investigation, raw materials for the manufacture of explosives and devices were found, as well as materials to create fireworks, pipes to build explosive devices, and more. In addition, Carlo submachine guns were found, along with maps on which plans for the terror attacks and escape routes were drawn.
In light of the severity of the attacks they were planning, the group worked in a compartmentalized fashion, ensuring maximum secrecy in order to prevent their activities from being discovered.