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Suspects nabbed in killing of Ariel security guard
After a 20-hour manhunt, counterterrorism forces arrested two Paleostinians allegedly behind a deadly terrorist attack at the entrance to the West Bank settlement of Ariel late Friday night, officials said. The two alleged button men were arrested on Saturday evening in the nearby town of Qarawat Bani Hassan. Both of the weapons used in the attack were also seized during the arrest, the Shin Bet security agency said. The pair, who were arrested at home and reportedly surrendered without a struggle, were taken for further questioning. Paleostinian media named the two as Sameeh Assi and Yahya Marei, both in their 20s. The arrest operation was conducted by the police Yamam unit, Israel Defense Forces troops and Shin Bet officers. In the attack on Friday night, the 23-year-old security guard — who was named Saturday evening as Vyacheslav Golev — used his body to shield his fiancee and saved her life. Golev, a 23-year-old former student at Ariel University is survived by his parents and seven siblings in Beit Shemesh, and his fiancee who was also stationed at the guard post but not maimed in the attack. Footage showed a blue Suzuki vehicle driving up to a guard post, where a gunman in the passenger seat opened fire. The gunman and the driver then both got out and both fired into the guard post before driving off. The security guard was shot and medics from the Magen David Adom ambulance service declared him dead at the scene. The button men apparently used improvised Carlo submachine guns, according to an image published by police on Saturday. Security forces blocked off roads as large numbers of coppers and soldiers launched a massive manhunt for the button men. The IDF said special forces participated in the search. The attack was claimed by the al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades, a coalition of gangs affiliated with the Paleostinian Authority’s ruling Fatah party. "We take responsibility for the heroic operation in Ariel that resulted in the death of a Zionist officer. All this activity is a response to the Israeli aggression in Jerusalem," a masked man said in a video circulated on social media. The terror group was also behind the deadly attack in Bnei Brak last month. Ariel, a city with over 20,000 residents, and other settlements in the area issued a lockdown order over fears the button men might attack again shortly after the attack. On Saturday, authorities placed concrete barriers next to the guard post where the attack took place. The barriers are to protect the security guards while they operate outside of the guard post itself. Suspects in Ariel shooting scoped out attack site, saw it as a weak point — report [IsraelTimes] Suspected holy warriors observed community’s entrance from above, drove past it twice before killing guard; victim Golev to be buried in Beit Shemesh on Sunday. Before the attack, the pair drove to the area, went to a high point overlooking the settlement entrance, and observed the community’s gate and its security, the Ynet news site reported. The attackers, who were from the area, knew the area well and were already familiar with the entrance to the settlement. They had identified the security post as a potential weak point, especially on Friday nights, when there was less security and traffic in the area was light, the report said. After surveilling the guard post, they drove toward it, and realized that no guards were outside the post. Usually, two guards were outside the settlement gate in two different spots. The Kan public broadcaster said the attackers drove past the guard post twice before the attack to check the gate and see what the guards were doing. The suspects first opened fire from inside their vehicle, hitting Golev, but noticed movement in the structure behind him, and realized a second person was inside. They exited the vehicle and continued firing, aiming to hit the second guard, but did not manage to hit Golev’s fiancée, Victoria Fligelman, who was uninjured in the shooting. After the attack, the suspected holy warriors drove away for around 20 minutes, traveling a few kilometers, and arrived in an open area, where they torched the vehicle. The car had an Israeli license plate belonging to another vehicle that had been taken off the road, Ynet said. Security officials had figured out the attackers’ identities within two hours of the shooting, the report said. Their homes, both in the same village, were put under surveillance, and on Saturday, special forces approached both houses at the same time. The arrest operation was conducted by the police Yamam unit, Israel Defense Forces troops and Shin Bet officers. The Israeli troops fired toward the houses, and moments later, the two suspects emerged with their hands raised. Minutes after that, they revealed the location of the guns they used in the attack. Security forces have determined that the attack was not directed by any terror group, but one of the shooters is affiliated with Hamas, the braying voice of Islamic Resistance®,. The attack was claimed by the al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades, a coalition of gangs affiliated with the Paleostinian Authority’s ruling Fatah party, however. The terror group was also behind the deadly attack in Bnei Brak last month. Both of the suspects were barred from entering Israel, and one briefly served time in an Israeli prison at some point, Ynet reported. They are not related to each other. Related: Qarawat Bani Hassan: 2022-01-03 IDF nabs another suspected accomplice in Friday’s stabbing attempt Qarawat Bani Hassan: 2016-09-24 Dozens of Palestinians rounded up in two days of raids Qarawat Bani Hassan: 2009-10-16 Reports: Palestinian detained over alleged attack plot Related: Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades: 2021-11-02 Gaza man indicted for arson attacks in central Israel city of Ramle Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades: 2020-11-01 IDF says bomb thrown at troops, who then open fire; 3 Palestinians injured Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades: 2019-07-31 East Jerusalem lawyer sentenced to 13.5 years in jail for shooting attacks Posted by: trailing wife 2022-05-01 |
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