[IsraelTimes] Border Police troops and Military Police soldiers seize an M-16 rifle from a suspect at the Shuafat checkpoint in East Jerusalem, a police front man says.According to police, officers and soldiers searched a car that arrived at the checkpoint, and found the assault rifle in the trunk. The driver, a 21-year-old resident of the Shuafat refugee camp, has been arrested.
The Military Police’s Erez Battalion is due to leave the checkpoint permanently tonight, after a deadly shooting attack occurred there in October.
The probe of the attack pointed to a series of failures and shortcomings that led to a soldier being killed, with the military and police agreeing to pull the battalion from the checkpoint.
Border Police chief Amir Cohen says he praises the battalion for its "professional" work over the years.
"Today, about five minutes before the end of the battalion’s deployment at the Shuafat crossing, a soldier seized an M-16 weapon that could have reached terrorist or criminal elements," Cohen adds.