Suspect arrested in stabbing of soldier in the northern West Bank
Attacker, whose victim was moderately injured, identified as a 19-year-old man from the village of Jamma’in
Judah Ari Gross is The Times of Israel's religions and Diaspora affairs correspondent.
The suspect in the stabbing of an army reservist outside an Israel Defense Forces base in the northern West Bank has been arrested following a manhunt, the Shin Bet security service announced Thursday night, hours after the attack.
In addition to the soldier, who was moderately hurt, a civilian woman, 26, was lightly injured by a ricochet from shots fired at the assailant.
The Shin Bet identified the stabber as a 19-year-old man from the village of Jamma’in in the northern West Bank. The suspect has not been named.
Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman praised “outstanding intelligence and operational work in capturing the terrorist,” in a tweet Thursday night.
He said the forces that had been shifted to the search for the stabber would return to an ongoing manhunt for Palestinian man Ashraf Na’alowa, who has been on the run since killing two people in a terror attack at the Barkan industrial zone Sunday, according to Israeli authorities.
The Shin Bet said the IDF and Israel Police had assisted in the search for the stabber.
According to the IDF, the stabber attacked the Israeli soldier, a 30-year-old reservist, with a knife shortly after 1:30 p.m., outside the Shomron Regional Brigade headquarters near the Itamar settlement.
Other IDF soldiers at the scene opened fire at him as he fled, lightly injuring a woman with shrapnel. The stabber may have fled in a waiting car nearby, Hadashot TV news said.
The two victims were taken to Petah Tikva’s Beilinson Hospital for treatment.
The reservist sustained stab wounds to the face and upper body. He was fully conscious when he was brought into the hospital, according to his doctors.
On Sunday, a Palestinian terrorist shot and killed two of his coworkers — Kim Levengrond Yehezkel and Ziv Hajbi — and wounded a third, Sara Vaturi, in the northern West Bank’s Barkan Industrial Park where he was employed.
Na’alowa, 23, fled the scene and has eluded capture, according to the Israeli military. The hunt for the suspected terrorist entered its fifth day Thursday.
On Thursday, Na’alowa’s sister Fayrouz was arrested at her home in the West Bank city of Nablus in connection with the manhunt for her brother, the Shin Bet said. Fayrouz had previously been questioned by Israeli forces, but was released. Na’alowa’s brother was arrested the day after the attack.
The Shin Bet refused to say on what grounds Fayrouz was arrested. Na’alowa’s mother and other sisters were also detained and brought in for questioning following the attack, but were later released.
Officials reportedly believe that Na’alowa, who is said to have left a suicide note before the attack, is preparing to engage troops when they close in on him in a firefight that could turn deadly.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
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