3 Palestinian women arrested at West Bank checkpoint with makeshift submachine gun

Three Palestinian women from Nablus with a makeshift submachine gun in their car were arrested Saturday near a checkpoint in the West Bank, the Defense Ministry said.

According to an initial investigation of the incident, the three women drove up to the Eliyahu Crossing, near Qalqilya, and stopped their car before the checkpoint, arousing the suspicion of security guards.

Guards searching their car found a makeshift “Carlo” submachine gun and an unclear note in the trunk. Some Hebrew media reports claimed the note was a suicide note, though this remained unconfirmed.

It was not immediately clear if the trio had actually planned to attack the checkpoint, or had sought to be arrested by Israeli authorities.

The three women did not have permits to enter Israel.

They were taken for further questioning by the Shin Bet security agency.

The incident came amid high tensions in the West Bank, as Israeli security forces stepped up arrest raids and operations following a deadly wave of terror attacks against Israelis that left 19 people dead earlier this year.