Israeli Arab held for attempt to steal soldier’s weapon
Man taken in for questioning after suspected attack on serviceman at entrance to base in south
Israeli police on Sunday night arrested a man on suspicion of attacking an IDF soldier at the entrance to a base in southern Israel and attempting to steal his army-issued weapon.
The incident occurred at the Mishmar Hanegev base, near the Israeli kibbutz of the same name.
In a statement to the press, police said the suspect was a “member of a minority,” an Israeli euphemism for Arab or Palestinian.
The soldier, according to police, overpowered his would-be attacker and restrained him until authorities arrived.
The suspect was taken in for questioning.
Earlier on Sunday, authorities foiled what could have been a major terror attack in Jerusalem, after arresting a suspect who was found to be carrying explosives and knives in a backpack. The man, identified as a West Bank resident, aroused the suspicions of a security guard at a light rail stop on Jaffa Road in the capital, who then proceeded to detain him until police arrived.
Sappers were promptly deployed to the scene and the road was closed off, along with the adjacent King George Street.
Police said the man was found to be carrying “a number of pipe bombs” and had been arrested and taken in for questioning. A later police statement said that sappers disarmed “three pipe bombs wired together.” Mobile phones and knives were also in the backpack.
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