It was cleared for publication on Thursday that in a joint operation in January, ISA and IDF forces arrested in January three Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorists from the village of Ya'bad who worked to carry out substantial terror attacks using remote-controlled explosives against IDF soldiers in the area.
The three worked under the guidance of the PIJ headquarters in Lebanon. During their arrests, authorities seized operational explosives.
The three terrorists are Ahmad Talib Khalid Abu Bakr, 29 from Ya'bad, Ibrahim Abd Alrahim Jabar Abu Bakr, 29 from Ya'bad, and A'bada Mansour Mohammad Abu Bakr, 19 from Yabad. The older two Abu Bakrs are senior PIJ operatives in the village.
The ISA investigation found that Ahmad and Ibrahim were secretly in contact with the Jihad headquarters in Lebanon and received funds from it using cryptocurrency among other means.
In addition, the two experimented in manufacturing substantial remote-detonating explosives to use them against IDF forces. The ISA's interrogation of A'bada found that he was enlisted by Ibrahim into the cell and manufactured explosives under his guidance. Three were indicted in the Military Court in Samaria.
"This investigation reveals the intention of the PIJ HQ to advance attacks in the northern Samaria area by enlisting and guiding operatives who live in Judea and Samaria. The ISA and IDF will continue to work to fight terror against IDF forces and Israeli civilians," the ISA stated.