From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, March 5, 2024
IDF says it nabbed West Bank terror mastermind plotting ‘imminent’ attack
Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian is The Times of Israel's military correspondent
Border Police, the Shin Bet, and IDF say troops detained a prominent terror operative in the Balata refugee camp near Nablus in the northern West Bank in an overnight raid.
In a joint statement, authorities say Muhammad Tanji was planning an “imminent” terror attack with other operatives.
Tanji was “one of the main operatives in the terror infrastructure in Balata over the past year,” the statement says.
اعتقال قائد كتيبة بلاطة ومؤسسها محمد ابو ذراع "الزنكلوني" المصاب اكتر من اصابة والمطلوب لقوات الاحتلال منذ اكثر من اربع سنوات. pic.twitter.com/UVvKcEM2cE
— Newpress | نيو برس (@NewpressPs) March 5, 2024
Palestinian media identify Tanji as a leader and founder of the so-called Balata Battalion, a local wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group in the refugee camp.
The IDF says troops also operated in the northern West Bank village of Kafr Dan to demolish the home of a Palestinian accused of taking part in a deadly terror attack last year.
Abed Massad was allegedly involved in the killing of Shay Silas Nigreker, 60, and his 28-year-old son Aviad Nir, in the West Bank town of Huwara last August. The attack itself was carried out by Osama Bani Fadl, and his home was demolished in December.
In other raids across the West Bank, another 20 wanted Palestinians were arrested, the IDF says.
Since October 7, the IDF says troops have arrested some 3,450 wanted Palestinians across the West Bank, including more than 1,500 affiliated with Hamas.
