Suspected stabber from October attack collared in Ramallah

In a raid on a Ramallah hotel overnight Monday, IDF soldiers arrested a Palestinian man accused of attempting to stab Border Police troops over a month ago.

During the operation, conducted in coordination with the Shin Bet security service, troops nabbed Bassel Mounir Mahmed Abu Ali from a hotel where he was hiding out. He was transferred to the Shin Bet for questioning.

On October 30, Abu Ali and an accomplice, Bassam Fares Ibrahim al-Na’ssan, attacked security forces at the Tapuah Junction in the West Bank, according to Israel.

The two men attempted to stab a border policewoman and her partner as they inspected vehicles at the junction. According to a police statement, the attackers arrived at the intersection on a motorcycle, dismounted and advanced toward the officers with knives in hand.

Seeing the men approach, the police woman opened fire, killing al-Na’assan and critically injuring Abu Ali, who was taken away by a Red Crescent ambulance for medical treatment in Ramallah.

The Border Police troops were not hurt in the attempted attack.

Earlier this week, in the village of Al-Mughayyer, near Ramallah, IDF engineers surveyed the home of al-Na’ssan in preparation for demolishing it for his role in the attack.

The practice of demolishing the family homes of terrorists has been criticized by nongovernmental groups, but government officials have defended its use as a deterrent against future attacks.

Critics claim that in addition to being a form of collective punishment, house demolitions could motivate family members of terrorists to launch attacks themselves.