Israeli forces on Wednesday apprehended a suspect in connection with the Feb. 20 bus bombings in Bat Yam and Holon, the Israel Defense Forces announced.
The suspect, Abd al-Karim Sanubar, was captured during an operation in Nablus (Shechem) in Samaria, following a months-long manhunt.
A blast on Tuesday, believed to have been triggered when Sanubar came into contact with additional explosives in his possession, led security forces to his location. He was injured in the explosion and attempted to flee the apartment before being apprehended.
As part of the operation, security forces searched the area around the building where the blast occurred and uncovered several ready-to-use explosive devices, which were safely dismantled.
All of the bombings in February occurred in parked, empty buses across the two cities located south of Tel Aviv. There were no injuries as the explosions were apparently mistimed.
In response, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered the military to conduct a “massive” counter-terrorism operation in Judea and Samaria.
In March, Israeli forces arrested the man who planted the bomb on the bus in Bat Yam after discovering he was inside the Green Line illegally.
In a separate overnight raid in Nablus on Wednesday, Israel Border Police officers arrested two terrorists, including a member of the Iranian-backed Lions’ Den terrorist organization, police said.
Undercover Border Police operatives arrested the Lions’ Den member, who is suspected of carrying out attacks on the country’s security forces, after he escaped from custody some two years ago, the statement said.
“The undercover forces arrived in disguise at the multi-story building where he was hiding,” it said. “After he tried to escape, hid in a storage room and resisted arrest, he was detained by the undercover forces.”
In the second operation in Nablus, the undercover officers arrested another wanted Palestinian suspected of terrorist activities.
There were no casualties among security forces, the statement added.
Also on Thursday, the Israel Police announced it arrested three ISIS terrorists from eastern Jerusalem who had planned to carry out an attack using a car bomb at a checkpoint in the Jewish state’s capital.
The Arab terrorists, who were apprehended several weeks ago, considered several means of attack, according to the initial investigation, including a shooting and a suicide drone, but decided to use an explosive-rigged car as it “would cause greater damage and more deaths.”
The men consumed ISIS propaganda videos online and were in contact with terrorist groups in Judea and Samaria with the goal of traveling to Syria through Jordan, according to the initial Israel Police probe.
Criminal charges are expected to be filed against the suspects once the investigation concludes in the coming weeks, the statement added.
