Police conducted arrests in nine Arab cities and towns in Israel overnight in a major crackdown on weapons dealers in Israel's north. Weapons were confiscated and their owners arrested in 20 houses in Nazareth, Kfar Kana, Turan, Iblin, Dir Hana, Umm el-Fahm, Deboria, Shibli, and Meisar.
A total of 27 people were arrested.
In addition to weapons, officers found ammunition and large quantities of cash in several homes. The money was confiscated as well.
The overnight arrest operation followed an undercover investigation into weapons smugglers in the north who work with criminal elements in Palestinian Authority-controlled regions of Judea and Samaria.
One week ago Yuval Diskin, head of the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet), warned that failure to deal with violence and illegal trade in weapons in the Israeli Arab sector could lead to an increase in Israeli Arab involvement in terrorism.
Merri