A Palestinian Authority (PA) imam in his 30s was a arrested Wednesday night by fighters from the Hetz Yehuda unit of the Israel Police's Special Forces.
The nighttime operation at the imam's Hebron residence surprised the imam while he slept and followed intelligence gathered by the IDF's Central Command after the imam posted inciteful content on social media.
According to a police statement, the arrest was carried out in cooperation between the Israeli Police and the IDF, with precise guidance from the Judea and Samaria District Operations Room and the Hebron police station's Intelligence Department in the Judea region.
In the dead of night, Yasam operatives raided the religious leader's home in Hebron. According to the police, he is affiliated with the Hamas terrorist organization and is suspected of encouraging and inciting terror attacks against the State of Israel.
During intelligence gathering operations, his posts were found to encourage terrorism and call for the destruction of Israel, as well as glorify Hamas spokesperson Abu Obeida, who was killed during the war, with the suspect referring to the elimination as "a martyr's death."
The suspect was taken for questioning at the Hebron station on charges of endangering regional security, expressing solidarity with a terrorist organization, and incitement and support for a terror group. He was imprisoned following the interrogation. The investigation is ongoing.