A 16-and-a-half-year-old terrorist from the village of Nahalin admitted during police questioning that he left his home intending to carry out a stabbing attack against an IDF soldier near the community of Neve Daniel in Gush Etzion, with the goal of dying as a martyr.
The teenager was arrested on Saturday night after attempting to infiltrate the Jewish town of Neve Daniel. He was apprehended by the community's security coordinator and IDF troops. Initially, he claimed he had only come to the area in search of water after becoming thirsty during his walk.
Police said that during questioning at the Etzion police station, the suspect eventually confessed that before leaving home, he kissed his mother's hand and set out intending to stab the first Israeli soldier he encountered, hoping that he himself would also be killed. According to his statement, his goal was to die as a martyr.
As part of the investigation, the suspect led investigators along the route he had taken from his home to the area near Neve Daniel and showed them where he had hidden the knife.
Officers searching the secene recovered a kitchen knife that, according to the investigation, he had taken from his family's home and concealed beneath a metal bench.
The suspect remains in custody. Israel Police have announced that they intend to request an extension of his detention in order to allow further investigation and the filing of an indictment against the suspect.
