Ramallah Arab Arrested for Planned Truck-Ramming Attack

Mahmoud Safran, a 40-year-old Arab from Ramallah, was charged Monday in an Israeli military court with attempted murder and acting in a dangerous manner on the road for his planned truck-ramming attack on IDF soldiers last month.

Safran was arrested in Rishon LeTzion on Chol Hamo’ed Sukkos, after stealing a truck. Under interrogation, he admitted that he had planned to use the truck to run down IDF soldiers in the Tel Aviv area. Safran had stolen the truck in Holon, and was able to drive about half an hour before police found the truck. Police called on him to stop, but he kept driving and gathered speed in an apparent attempt to escape. As he drove away he rammed into a vehicle. B’derech nes, there were no injuries as a result. He was eventually stopped by police, and taken into custody.

IDF soldiers continued their accelerated campaign of seizing cash and assets from families of terrorists who received “bonuses” from the Palestinian Authority and Hamas for the actions of families’ members in murdering Jews. Soldiers seized tens of thousands of shekels in cash from families in the Chevron area who had received such payments. In addition to the cash, soldiers seized several vehicles belonging to families of terrorists.

Overnight Sunday, security officials said they arrested 16 wanted security suspects in other areas in Yehudah and Shomron. The suspects were wanted for participating in rioting and throwing stones and firebombs that endangered Israeli civilians and IDF soldiers. Several of the suspects were also charged with belonging to Hamas. All were being questioned on their activities by security forces.