 [IsraelTimes] Forces detain four others who allegedly aided in Thursday night’s attack in Beitar Illit; five more wanted Paleostinians nabbed in Qalqilya.
Israeli forces on Friday night detained a Paleostinian man suspected of planting a makeshift bomb on a bus in a West Bank settlement a night earlier, the military said.
In a joint statement with the Shin Bet security agency and Israel Police, the Israel Defense Forces said the suspect, along with four others who allegedly aided him in the attempted bombing attack, were arrested in the West Bank town of Battir.
On Thursday night, troops searched the settlement of Beitar Illit after the improvised bomb was found on the bus. Surveillance camera footage from the bus showed a person leaving the vehicle, before smoke was seen rising from one of the seats, apparently after the device malfunctioned. Police sappers safely neutralized the IED. Nobody was hurt in the incident.
The IDF said they were given "accurate intelligence information" from the Shin Bet about the suspect’s whereabouts.
Along with the other four suspects, troops also seized a vehicle suspected to have been used by the suspects in the attack, the IDF added. The five were handed over to the Shin Bet for further questioning.
From Thursday night till early Friday morning, a "terrorist infiltration" alert sounded in the settlement after the suspected improvised bomb was discovered. Residents were ordered by the military’s Home Front Command to remain in their homes and lock their doors and windows until further notice. The restrictions were lifted at 7 a.m. on Friday, after the military believed the suspect was no longer in the settlement.
In a separate arrest raid overnight, the IDF said troops detained five wanted Paleostinians in the West Bank city of Qalqilya.
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