Anonymous Tip Foils Afula Terror Attack

An anonymous tip led to the capture of an Arab terrorist who planned to carry out a terror attack in Afula. Police got the tip in a phone call on Shabbos afternoon, with the caller providing a full description of the terrorist. An all-points bulletin was issued, with dozens of police spreading out in a search for the terrorist. A short time later, police got a second phone call, describing the vehicle the terrorist was driving, along with its license plate number. The vehicle was quickly detected, and the terrorist arrested. He was questioned Motzoei Shabbos and will be brought to court for an extension of his remand Sunday.

Israeli forces struck overnight in Gaza, after they were identified trying to launch terror balloons designed to set fire to Israeli farms and forests. Over Shabbos, nine fires broke out in southern Israel due to the activity of Gaza terrorists, who dispatched terror kites and balloons to Israel with flammable material attached, Channel 20 reported. Several other balloons that did not explode, in the towns of Netivot and Sedot Negev, were dismantled by police. Arabs rioted Saturday night along the Gaza border fence, throwing rocks and firebombs at Israeli forces. On Friday, some 10,000 Gaza Arabs rioted along the border. One Israeli soldier was lightly injured in the rioting.

In Yehudah and Shomron, meanwhile, IDF forces Motzoei Shabbos arrested terror suspects in the Jilazoun refugee camp, north of Yerushalayim. The activity came after terrorists threw a firebomb at the Binyamin town of Beit El Friday night. No injuries were reported in the incident, and there was no damage. IDF soldiers discovered and dismantled a weapons cache that was stored in a house in Shechem. Several weapons and associated materials, including ammunition, were removed. The residents of the house were arrested and questioned on the source of the weapons.

Also overnight, security officials said they arrested 18 wanted security suspects in other areas in Judea and Samaria. 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.