An Arab resident of Hevron was arrested Wednesday morning, after he was caught attempting to smuggle a knife into the Tomb of the Patriarchs.
The city of Hevron, a frequent target of Arab terrorists, is divided between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, with some 20% of the city in sector H2 under direct Israeli control, and the remaining 80% in H1, administered by the PA.
On Wednesday, an Arab resident of Hevron attempted to enter the Tomb of the Patriarchs compound, a holy site which has been partitioned between the Jewish and Arab communities of Hevron.
Border Police officers stationed at the entrance to the holy site spotted the suspect attempting to circumvent the security checkpoint and avoid passing through the metal detectors.
Officers ordered the suspect to return to the entrance and pass through a metal detector, which indicated that he was carrying metal object he had neglected to remove from his person before passing through the checkpoint.
When officers checked the suspect, they found a knife concealed in one of his socks.
A Border Police spokesperson identified the suspect as a 17 year old local.
The suspect was taken into custody for questioning.