Israeli security forces have managed to locate and arrest a Palestinian terrorist who, according to the country’s security agency the ‘Shin Bet’, is responsible for two deadly shooting attacks in December, at the West Bank junctions of Givat Assaf and Ofra, in which three Israelis were killed and another was severely wounded. The suspect, Asem Barghouti, was arrested at the home of one of his accomplices in the Palestinian village of Abu Shukeidim. According to the Shin Bet, a Kalashnikov automatic rifle and considerable ammunition was seized during his arrest. Furthermore, interrogation of the suspect revealed that the terrorist was in the process of planning additional shooting-attacks against Israelis.
In response to the successful operation, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu congratulated the Shin Bet, IDF and the Israel Police counter-terrorism unit for capturing the terrorist. In his written statement Netanyahu reiterated a pledge he previously made according to which “The long arm of Israel will reach whoever attacks (its) citizens,” and that “The state of Israel will deal with them to the fullest extent of the law.”