IDF special forces have arrested one of the masterminds of the March 2002 Park Hotel massacre, as well as an accomplice.
Hamas terrorists Muhammad Hariush and Adnan Samara were picked up Tuesday by a Duvdevan special forces unit working together with Border Police officers, a Yamam commando unit and agents from the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet). The two were caught in the village of Tzurif, located near the Judean city of Bethlehem in Gush Etzion, where they had been hiding from police.
Haruish heads the Hamas terrorist organization's branch in Tulkarm; until Tuesday, he headed Israel's "Most Wanted" list for the Palestinian Authority city. The senior terrorist replaced Omar Jabber as head of Hamas in the Samarian city after Jabber was arrested by the IDF in 2008.
According to IDF Army Radio, Hariush was arrested and jailed by the PA in 2004 but was released only two years later, promptly resuming his terrorist activities.
Samara, too, had served time in prison; the Hamas operative had been released from an Israeli jail after completing a sentence for terrorist activities just last year.
Hariush was deeply involved in planning and executing the massive suicide bombing attack on the Netanya hotel during a Passover seder, which left 29 people dead.
The senior terrorist has also planned attacks on IDF troops and PA police officers, and has equipped Hamas terrorist units with weapons.