A member of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad cell, who was killed in a raid by Israeli security forces early on Saturday, has been on Shin Bet’s radar since it fired on West Bank troops earlier this week, Israeli television reported.
Saif Abu Libdeh, a 25-year-old resident of Tulkarm, fired over 50 bullets at IDF troops patrolling the so-called seam line, according to Channel 12 news on Tuesday. No soldiers were injured.
The network said the Shin Bet has been on Abu Libdeh’s heels ever since, stalking him during a rally on Friday in Jenin, where he showed up armed with an M-16 rifle.
“You’ll be hearing from me soon,” he reportedly said. “I’m going to do something very big in Israel.”
According to the unsourced report, security officials believe he intended to carry out a killing spree similar to recent terrorist attacks in Beersheba, Hadera and Bnei Brak, which killed a total of 11 people.
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Two other suspects — Khalil Twalba, 24, from Jenin, and Saeb Abahara, 30, from the nearby village of Yamun — were killed during the shootout with Israeli forces that left four officers injured, including one seriously.
قُدِّر لشعبي ان ينزِف الدماء لتحيى الامة ♥️#جنين ????????? هنيئا ???? pic.twitter.com/JA9aiKxEa1
— Bilal | بلال (@bilal2468) April 2, 2022
A fourth suspected member of the cell was arrested on Saturday in the Palestinian town of Shuweika, near the West Bank city of Tulkarem.
The Israel Defense Forces later released video showing troops surrounding the suspect’s home before he attempted to flee. According to the military, an M-16 rifle and ammunition were seized in the raid.
IDF is releasing today video of troops operating in Shuweika, near the West Bank city of Tulkarem, during the arrest of a suspected PIJ cell member en route to an attack in Israel pic.twitter.com/8bLsgjWbfu
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) April 2, 2022
Officials said the cell was on its way to an attack in Israel at the time of the arrest. Ahead of a meeting Saturday night with senior Shin Bet officials, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said security forces had foiled a “ticking time bomb”.
“We certainly anticipate that there will be many more attempts, and we are working to prevent them,” Bennett said.
In response to the recent attacks, the Israeli security forces have been put on increased alert and reinforcements have been deployed to the West Bank, the Seam Line and major cities. The escalation came at the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan – often a time of high tension in Israel and the West Bank.
Israeli officials have sought to defuse tensions ahead of Ramadan amid fears the violence could spark the same type of unrest that rocked Israel in May 2021, when Hamas began firing rockets at Israel, sparking an 11-day war with Gaza and days after sparked unrest between Arabs and Jews in Israel.
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