Dozens detained in upped West Bank sweeps
IDF forces nab 31 Palestinian suspects wanted for involvement in terror activities; rifles and ammunition uncovered; 4 deer freed, too
Stuart Winer is a breaking news editor at The Times of Israel.
IDF forces detained 31 terror suspects overnight Tuesday in sweeping operations to uncover weapons caches across the West Bank and the Jordan valley region that also led to the release of four captured deer.
The detainees were all wanted on suspicion of involvement in terror -related activities and violent demonstrations, according to the army.
The number of those arrested is much higher than the average tally of detainees in nightly raids across the West Bank, which normally include only a handful of suspects.
A spokesperson for the military declined to say why the number was so much higher and said only that troops were looking for illegal weapons.
The detainees included 14 suspects nabbed near Nablus in a joint IDF and police operation that also netted several weapons. Six rifles, a pistol, gun-sights, and many magazines full of bullets were seized by the forces.
The suspects were to be interrogated.
During the searches IDF forces also discovered four deer, Israeli Radio reported. Two of the animals were immediately released into the wild, and the other two were taken for veterinary treatment.
צוות של חטמר שומרון והמנאז חילץ ארבעה צבאים במהלך פעילות לאיתור אמצעי לחימה. שניים שוחררו לטבע ושניים הועברו לטיפול pic.twitter.com/6t0Ybhszku
— Guy Cotev גיא קוטב (@guycotev) August 26, 2015
