Terrorist Caught Trying to Break Into Shomron School

Security forces on Thursday morning caught a terrorist who was trying to sneak into a yeshivah in the town of Maale Efraim in Shomron. The terrorist began running when soldiers told him to halt, and they chased him into a valley, where he was eventually caught. A search of his person yielded a large knife, which he apparently planned to use in the terror attack. The terrorist was arrested and questioned by officials.

Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi Harav David Lau was in Maale Efraim delivering a shiur at the yeshivah when the terrorist attempted his attack.

IDF soldiers overnight Wednesday seized weapons that were to be used in terror attacks. Soldiers, working with police, discovered weapons in the Arab town of Beit Fajjar, near Beit Lechem. Among the weapons was an M-16 rifle. The owner of the house was arrested and questioned on what the weapons were doing there.

In a statement, the army said that such weapons were used in terror attacks as well as for criminal activity, and that security forces were determined to seize all weapons that were being held illegally by all people, in order to better protect all Israelis and residents of Palestinian Authority-controlled areas, who are also under threat by terrorists and criminals.

Overnight Wednesday, security officials said they arrested 17 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.