Two More Terror Gangs Nabbed, Security Officials Say

The Shin Bet, working with the IDF and Israel Police, announced Wednesday that it had arrested two terror gangs operating inside Yerushalayim and in the Binyamin region. The gangs had planned and carried out numerous terror attacks.

One of the gangs was operating on behalf of the Fatah-affiliated Al-Aqsa Brigades in the A-Ram neighborhood of Jerusalem, and had planted bombs, and conducted firebomb, shooting, and rock throwing attacks against Israeli vehicles. Several Israelis were injured in these attacks.

A second gang, affiliated with Hamas, was operating in the Hevron area, and had attacked Israeli vehicles traveling on Road 60. The gang carried out several shooting attacks. B’chasdei Shamayim, no injuries resulted from these attacks. The gang members, in their 20s, are residents of the El-Aroub refugee camp. Members of the gangs were being questioned by security officials, and will be detained until the end of proceedings against them.

On Sunday, security forces announced that they had arrested several students from Bir Zeit University who were active in a Hamas-affiliated group, seeking to gain a foothold and build a Hamas infrastructure among the students in the town, which is seen as a Fatah stronghold. Several days earlier, security officials announced that they had broken up yet another Hamas terror cell operating in the Binyamin area. Investigators found that members of the cell – residents planted explosives and threw firebombs at IDF units in the area, and were involved in shooting at Har Adar in 2015.