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.
