The Israel Police announced on Sunday that its forces thwarted a planned terrorist attack in Jerusalem’s Old City, arresting a Palestinian residing in the country illegally.
The Palestinian, a 31-year-old from Judea and Samaria, was arrested around two weeks ago in the Old City with a knife in his possession. He turned himself in to officers after allegedly planning to carry out a stabbing attack and changing his mind at the last minute, the police said.
The investigation revealed that another suspect directed him to carry out the attack. The pair also planned to purchase a Carlo-type improvised submachine gun and carry out an attack in the area of Beit El, an Israeli town in the Binyamin region of southern Samaria.
The accomplice was arrested in the Ramallah area around three days after the initial arrest, with the assistance of the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) and the Israel Defense Forces.
An indictment was expected to be filed against the two terrorists on Sunday.