Police say they foiled Jerusalem Day stabbing attack
Nablus resident arrested at checkpoint near capital after officers found he was trying to smuggle a knife into Israel
Police announced Thursday the arrest of a Palestinian who they said was caught trying to enter Israel in order to carry out a terror attack on Jerusalem Day.
The suspect, a Nablus resident in his thirties, arrived at the Qalandiya Crossing north of Jerusalem, where he was stopped by Border Police officers.
Police said the suspect presented an expired entry permit to try to enter Israel, heightening their suspicions and leading them to carry out a search on his person, during which a knife was found.
The suspect was then turned over for questioning and later jailed.
While stating that the Palestinian sought to carry out a stabbing attack, police did not say whether he was associated with a terror group or was acting on his own accord.
On Thursday, the Ofer military court extended the suspect’s remand by eight days and prosecutors filed a statement of their intention to indict him.
He is suspected of attempted murder, possession of a knife, and preparing to carry out an act of terror, police said.
Jerusalem Day, which this year fell on Sunday, marks the reunification of the city following the capture of East Jerusalem from Jordan in the 1967 Six Day War. The day is known mainly for its Flag Dance march, in which primarily religious teenagers march through the Old City decked in white and blue, the colors of the Israeli flag.
In previous years, the march has sparked sporadic incidents of violence between Israeli revelers and local Palestinian residents.
This year’s march came a day ahead of the inauguration of the United States embassy in Jerusalem, which has been vociferously opposed by the Palestinians, who claim East Jerusalem as the capital of their future state.
The Times of Israel Community.