14-year-old Palestinian arrested with large knife in Tel Aviv bus station

Unclear if boy, who was in Israel illegally, intended to carry out terror attack

By ToI Staff 23 December 2021, 7:43 pm

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Illustrative: Departure gates at the Central Bus Station in Tel Aviv, on January 26, 2018. (Miriam Alster/Flash90)

Authorities arrested a 14-year-old Palestinian boy on Thursday in Tel Aviv’s Central Bus Station for carrying a knife.

The boy was caught after a security guard noticed him acting suspiciously near a bus departure gate and began questioning him.

The suspect was cooperative, and during the questioning the guard realized the boy was Palestinian and asked for identification.

He found out the boy was in Israel illegally and called other security personnel to the scene. The guards patted down the suspect and found a large kitchen knife under his coat. It was not clear whether he intended to carry out a terror attack.

The guards held the suspect and called police, who took the boy for questioning.

The incident came amid an uptick in terror incidents in recent weeks, with four attacks taking place in Jerusalem alone, including a deadly shooting committed by a member of Hamas.

Last week, Palestinian terrorists opened fire on an Israeli car in the West Bank, killing 25-year-old Yehuda Dimentman and wounding two others.

On Tuesday night, a driver attempted to ram Israeli soldiers in the northern West Bank, the military said.