Stockpile of firecrackers, air rifles uncovered in East Jerusalem

Border police raided a house in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Silwan on Sunday night and uncovered a stockpile of hundreds of firecrackers and air rifles believed to be used by rioters against security forces.

Police acted on a tip that the premises were being used as a storage site and obtained a court order to search the building. Together with a canine unit, border police uncovered the stockpile. Cops also found other material believed to be stolen goods. The house owner was not present at the time but his brother was taken in for questioning.

Police Chief Yohanan Danino said that he is planning a range of measures to combat the increased use of firecrackers by rioters including establishing a team with the Economy Ministry to better monitor firecracker sales. Danino revealed he is also seeking to have fireworks classified as dangerous explosive materials, and that he had instructed intelligence units to develop better resources to deal with the problem.

Also on Sunday, a bus driver was injured in north-east Jerusalem by stone-throwers, NRG reported

The developments came amid continued unrest and rioting in East Jerusalem neighborhoods that have persisted almost daily for the past four months, since the murder of Palestinian teenager Muhammed Abu Khdeir at the hands of Jewish terrorists in late June, as an act of revenge for the kidnapping and murder of the three Israeli teenagers that same month, and throughout the 50-day summer conflict with Hamas and other Gaza-based terror groups.