Security Forces Thwart Islamic State Attack Plan, Detain Suspect

By Yoni Weiss

Israeli security forces have intercepted a planned attack by a suspected Islamic State terrorist, according to a joint statement released on Thursday by the Shin Bet, Israel Police, and the IDF.

The statement detailed that based on intelligence provided by the Shin Bet, undercover Border Police units, backed by IDF troops, executed a nighttime operation in the Palestinian town of Beitunia, near Ramallah. “The forces encircled a building where the suspect was located, who was then apprehended after attempting to flee and grab a weapon from an officer,” the statement described.

Officials confirmed that the suspect was in the advanced stages of planning an imminent terrorist attack. This follows a recent disclosure by the Shin Bet about dismantling a terror cell last month that was orchestrating Islamic State-style attacks. The four members of the cell, residing near the West Bank village of Tarqumiyah close to Chevron, had reportedly manufactured 100 explosive devices, taking cues from online videos and instructions circulated by Islamic State terrorists abroad.

Additionally, earlier in January, the Israel Police and Shin Bet disrupted another plot aimed at security forces, led by two Islamic State supporters from East Yerushalayim’s Jabel Mukaber neighborhood. These individuals were apprehended separately last month, with legal indictments forthcoming.