Israel charges alleged Palestinian Molotov cocktail gang
Seven teenagers from Beit Anan accused of multiple attacks on routes 443 and 446, north of Jerusalem
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleJudah Ari Gross is The Times of Israel's religions and Diaspora affairs correspondent.
The Shin Bet security service said Tuesday that it had arrested a group of seven Palestinian teenagers suspected of throwing Molotov cocktails at cars along West Bank highways on a number of occasions.
The teens, residents of Beit Anan, a village north of Jerusalem, were believed to have thrown firebombs on highways 443 and 436 near the Givat Ze’ev settlement at least seven times over the past few months, the Shin Bet said.
Route 443 is a major artery that also serves as an alternative route from Jerusalem to the Tel Aviv area. Route 446 connects Givat Ze’ev to the capital and crosses Route 443.
A military prosecutor filed an indictment Tuesday against the suspects and requested to keep them in custody throughout the trial.
“The Shin Bet sees these acts of terror as very serious and life-threatening. Along with our partners, the IDF and Israel Police, we will work vigorously to uncover these terror cells and punish those involved,” the security service said in a statement.
The IDF released a video showing one firebombing attack near Kharbatha al-Misbah, southeast of Modiin, as well as the arrest of two of the teenagers.
On Monday the Shin Bet said it had arrested two Palestinians and an Arab Israeli man who had formed an alleged Hamas terror cell that planned to carry out kidnapping, shooting and IED attacks in Israel.
The information that led to the arrests came from the Palestinian Authority, The Times of Israel learned. Details of the plot were under a gag order that was partially lifted Monday.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
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