Police Foil Plot to Bomb Yerushalayim’s Light Rail, Arrest 4 Teen Suspects

By Yoni Weiss

In a coordinated operation, detectives from the Yerushalayim District Police and officers from the Yerushalayim Border Police detained four teenagers from East Yerushalayim, aged between 15 and 16. The suspects had constructed several pipe bombs and positioned them under a station of Yerushalayim’s light rail system.

The discovery came about as police were probing into separate incidents involving the use of pipe bombs and the hurling of stones at police forces and light rail vehicles. The investigation revealed that the group, working together, had engineered, placed, and even filmed the placement of an improvised explosive device at one of the light rail stations.

Moreover, one of the teenagers attempted an attack on the light rail by hurling an explosive device, while his accomplices threw stones at the light rail before escaping.

The initial call to police reported stone-throwing and supposed gunfire at a light rail location. Officers responding to the scene initiated a search and evidence collection, only to ascertain the cause as an exploded improvised explosive device aimed at the light rail, not gunfire as initially thought.

Further investigations led to the discovery of another attempt by one suspect to place a bomb under the light rail as it approached the platform. This device, however, failed to detonate, and the suspect fled. Fortunately, these attempts resulted in no injuries to passengers or bystanders and only minor damage to the light rail infrastructure.

Investigations also linked some of the arrested individuals to recent episodes of stone-throwing targeting security personnel.

After thorough interrogation by the police, the Yerushalayim Magistrate’s Court has extended the detention of the suspects. The Yerushalayim District Police have concluded their investigation, establishing a substantial body of evidence against the four individuals, now referred to as terrorists, leading to the filing of a prosecutor’s statement against them.