Jerusalem – Israeli security forces on Tuesday arrested three Palestinians from the West Bank town of Nablus who are suspected of planning a terrorist attack in Jerusalem.
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The three detainees have been transferred to the custody of the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) for further questioning.
The arrests, which were carried out by a joint force comprising the Israel Police and the Shin Bet, were made in the east Jerusalem neighborhood of Jabal Mukaber.
Two of the suspects are minors – age 15 and 16 – and the other is a 23-year-old man.
The three Palestinians were detained after the security forces obtained a tip indicating that an attack was imminent.
The authorities say that the Palestinians planned on committing a combined assault against civilians involving an explosive device as well as gunfire.
The attack was said to have been planned for the Passover holiday and was to be executed in a crowded area.
The explosive device was slated to be provided by an unidentified co-conspirator and the weapon to be used for firing at civilians was an improvised assault rifle built in one of the Palestinian makeshift factories.
After their arrest, the three Palestinians confessed to the plot, according to security services. The suspects said that they were inspired by last week’s bombing of a bus in Jerusalem which left 19 people wounded and one person – the bomber – dead.