Two Palestinians planning attack arrested in West Bank
Nablus residents detained by police as they approach Tapuah Junction; police say one found to have knife
Border Police officers arrested two Palestinian men at the Tapuah Junction in the northern West Bank on suspicion of planning a stabbing attack at the site, police said Sunday.
The two are residents of the nearby city of Nablus
According to a statement by police, a border policeman stationed at the junction saw two figures walking through an open field near the intersection.
Officers approached the two, found one man in possession of a knife, and arrested them both.
After questioning the men, officials concluded that one had carried out a reconnaissance of the site and brought the other man with him to carry out an attack, police said.
Security forces are regularly stationed at and near the junction, which has been a flashpoint of violence over the past year.
In December, a Palestinian assailant attempted to stab Israeli guards at the junction and was shot and killed by police officers, police said.
Tapuah Junction, south of Nablus, has been the site of multiple stabbing and car-ramming attacks in the terror wave that began in the fall of 2015.
The rate of attacks has dropped precipitously in recent months.