A female Arab who planned to carry out a stabbing attack at the Machpelah Cave in Hevron Monday afternoon was arrested by IDF troops before she could injure anyone, an army spokesperson said. The incident occurred at about 3:00 PM, near a security station outside the Cave.
The woman attempted to pass through the security station to get into the plaza where the Cave is located. Entering the area entails passing through a metal detector, and the alarm sounded when the woman passed through the machine.
Several IDF troops and border guards immediately rushed to the woman and detained her. She was found to be carrying two large knives. The woman was arrested and taken in for questioning, admitting to interrogators that she had “come to stab a soldier, because once a soldier insulted me when I was in Tel Aviv.”
A report earlier Monday said that an Arab had attempted to stab a Jew in Jerusalem. The incident occurred in the center of town. The Jewish victim was not injured in that attack. Jerusalem police said that the Arab ran away before he could be detained, and that a search was on for him.