A 20-year-old Israeli-Arab from the Western Galilee was arrested on the Temple Mount three weeks ago by the police and Shin Bet (Israel’s domestic intelligence service) for planning to carry out an attack in the Knesset.
The man was seized after applying for a job as a construction worker in the Knesset and after having prepared the explosives for carrying out the attack. The suspect apparently learned how to prepare the explosives from the internet.
The suspect made contact with the building contractor, a neighbor of his, and tried to enlist his help in planning the attack. According to the police, the suspect wished to measure the thickness of the building walls in order to determine the amount of explosives he would need.
Police and security officials suspect that the Israeli citizen also tried to enlist other Arab youths from his village to carry out two other attacks: kidnapping and seizing the weapon of an IDF soldier, and attacking an IDF base in the north.
Galilee District Police Chief Danny Hadad said that the suspect bought materials for assembling bombs and experimented with them. “One successful experiment caused a small explosion and damage to his home," Hadad said.
Among the materials the would-be terrorist used to prepare the bombs were mercury and filament that he extracted from light bulbs.
A Knesset spokesman said that about 200 workers, including Israeli-Arabs, are employed on the construction site for the Knesset’s new wing. The spokesman said that all workers are investigated before being hired.
Although the suspect was arrested on February 13, a gag order barring publication of the incident was removed only yesterday, by a court in Akko (Acre).
The man was seized after applying for a job as a construction worker in the Knesset and after having prepared the explosives for carrying out the attack. The suspect apparently learned how to prepare the explosives from the internet.
The suspect made contact with the building contractor, a neighbor of his, and tried to enlist his help in planning the attack. According to the police, the suspect wished to measure the thickness of the building walls in order to determine the amount of explosives he would need.
Police and security officials suspect that the Israeli citizen also tried to enlist other Arab youths from his village to carry out two other attacks: kidnapping and seizing the weapon of an IDF soldier, and attacking an IDF base in the north.
Galilee District Police Chief Danny Hadad said that the suspect bought materials for assembling bombs and experimented with them. “One successful experiment caused a small explosion and damage to his home," Hadad said.
Among the materials the would-be terrorist used to prepare the bombs were mercury and filament that he extracted from light bulbs.
A Knesset spokesman said that about 200 workers, including Israeli-Arabs, are employed on the construction site for the Knesset’s new wing. The spokesman said that all workers are investigated before being hired.
Although the suspect was arrested on February 13, a gag order barring publication of the incident was removed only yesterday, by a court in Akko (Acre).