A local newspaper distributor in the Binyamin town of Kochav Hashachar triggered an alert last Friday after being mistakenly identified as a terrorist.
The alert kept residents confined to their homes for about three hours. At the end of the incident, it emerged that the reported suspicious figure was a newspaper distributor known to some residents.
Before 6:00 a.m., sirens were activated in the town following a resident's report of a suspicious figure near his home. The Home Front Command immediately ordered residents to enter bomb shelters.
An IDF spokesperson said that day that a report was received about a suspect who had attempted to break into a house in the town. IDF forces from the Binyamin Brigade were rushed to the scene and carried out thorough searches together with the town's civilian security squad and military trackers.
Only around 8:10 a.m. did the Home Front Command declare an all clear. After debriefing the incident, it was determined that the suspicious figure was a local newspaper distributor.
The civilian security squad thanked the security forces and volunteers who took part in the incident, and noted, "It is important to continue to act according to the procedures - remain in shelters, turn off the lights, and obey official instructions until the end of the incident."
One resident criticized the conduct of the forces that day, and said, "We were confined to our homes for about three hours. This was unnecessary - the person was a known newspaper distributor."