Shin Bet arrested Palestinians planning gun attacks in January

The Shin Bet announces the arrest of four Palestinian men involved in a pipe bomb attack and plotting additional shooting attacks.

The security service says it broke up a two-man terror cell outside of Jerusalem in January that was responsible for a pipe bomb attack that wounded an IDF soldier in October.

The alleged pipe bomb-throwers were part of the “al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade,” Fatah’s military wing, the Shin Bet says.

They were also behind a number of other incidents, in which explosives were thrown at soldiers, the Shin Bet adds.

“In addition, the cell members planned to carry out shooting attacks at security forces in the area,” the agency continues.

The two suspects were picked up on January 9, the agency says, but details of the case remained secret until now.

The agency also says that later in January it arrested two other Palestinian men outside Hebron for allegedly planning to carry out a shooting attack on “Israeli security forces and civilians” in the area on behalf of the Hamas terrorist group.

On January 30, the Shin Bet picked up Muhannad Jabber Mahmoud Abu Sal, 28, and ‫Ahmad Abd al-Rahman Hasan Abu Sal, 25, who are suspected of planning to carry out shooting attacks for Hamas, the agency says

The two men came from the al-Aroub refugee camp. The younger Abu Sal previously served time in an Israeli prison for belonging to Hamas, the Shin Bet says.

He recruited Muhannad and “was supposed to acquire the weapons for the attack,” the Shin Bet adds.

The security agency has handed over the findings of its investigation, and indictments are expected in coming days.

— Judah Ari Gross