Suicide belt
Suicide beltIsrael news photo

Police and Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) personnel, backed up by helicopters, fanned throughout the southern port city of Ashkelon Sunday morning and foiled a planned suicide attack in the city. A 27-year-old old Arab was caught in an elevator shaft at a construction site.

Police said they received information that the terrorist was preparing to stage an attack in the next several days. It was not revealed what form of explosives he was planning to use, and no weapons or explosives were found at the time of arrest.

The man, 27 years old, is from a village in Judea and Samaria and was in the city without a work permit. One other suspect was arrested. Ashkelon police are gathering evidence prior to requesting an indictment.

Ashkelon was drawn into the circle of terrorist attacks the past several years as Hamas and allied terrorists fired Kassam missiles, concentrating on the electric, gas and oil infrastructure in the port city. Several rocket exploded dangerously close to sites where a direct impact would have caused a catastrophe, according to security officials.