Potential Terrorist Tracked Down and Arrested in Herzliya

After a search that lasted several hours, police tracked down and arrested an Arab who was suspected of planning to carry out  terror attack in central Israel. The suspect, Ahmed Hatib., a 20-year-old resident of the village of Issawiya outside Yerushalayim, apparently informed family members that he was planning to carry out an attack on Israelis.

Large numbers of security officials combed the Herzliya area Tuesday morning, searching for a potential terrorist. The story began earlier Tuesday, when a car driven by an Arab from east Jerusalem broke past a checkpoint, driving at high speed.

The vehicle was found abandoned in the Herzliya area, north of Tel Aviv, and a dragnet was set up to track down the driver, who was eventually found in the center of town, not far from where he abandoned the vehicle.

Hatib is being questioned by police. Reports said that family members had told police that Hatib had told them before leaving the house Tuesday morning that he was “on his way to kill Jews.” Police said that it was possible that the case involved nothing more than a stolen car, but all possibilities are being examined.