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Israelis capture Palestinian cell headed for Ben-Gurion airport

SPECIAL TO WORLD TRIBUNE.COM
Thursday, November 7, 2002

TEL AVIV Ñ Israeli military sources said authorities captured a Palestinian insurgency cell on their way to conduct a suicide attack at Ben-Gurion International Airport. The airport is Israel's largest facility and handles the lion's share of international flights to the Jewish state.

Palestinians were said to have been planning a strike on Ben-Gurion for several months. This was the first time that a Palestinian cell was captured on the way to an attack the airport.

The sources said a suspected insurgent was captured overnight Wednesday just outside the airport, Middle East Newsline reported. They said the insurgent was driving in a car and had intended to blow himself up in the facility.

The capture came after a pursuit by Israeli security forces and police for several hours in the Sharon region in central Israel. They said another three Palestinians were arrested in the area.

Details of the arrest and the alleged plans of the insurgency cell have not been released. The sources said the cell included those others than Palestinian Arabs. One prospect is that Israeli Arab citizens were arrested on suspicion of supporting the insurgency operation.

The arrest of the Palestinians comes as authorities have been placed on high alert for suicide missions throughout Israel. Military sources said they have received alerts of up to 57 planned attacks on the country by Palestinian insurgents.

On Wednesday, a Palestinian gunmen infiltrated the Israeli community of Rafiah Yam in the southern Gaza Strip. The insurgent, identified as a member of Hamas's military wing, killed two Israeli farmers before he was shot to death.

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