Israel arrests Palestinian suspects in killing of West Bank settler guard

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Israeli forces have arrested two Palestinians suspected of killing an Israeli security guard, the military said, and raided their hometown in the occupied West Bank overnight, detaining an additional 12 people.

Yussef Assi and Yahya Maari were arrested on Saturday at one of the suspects’ homes in the Qarawat Bani Hassan village and two weapons believed to have been used in Friday’s attack that killed the Israeli guard outside the Ariel settlement in the West Bank were confiscated, security sources said.

“After intense intelligence and operational activity by the [domestic security agency] Shin Bet, police special forces and the army, two suspects were arrested this evening,” police said after a day-long manhunt.

Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade claimed responsibility for the shooting, which, later that night, was followed by the killing of a Palestinian, Yahya Adwan, during a raid in Azzun town in the West Bank.

An army spokesman told AFP the operation was linked to the hunt for the Ariel attackers.

“We claim responsibility for the heroic operation in the colony of Ariel in which a Zionist officer was killed, in response to violations committed by the occupation government in Jerusalem,” al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade said.

The army said it stepped up its presence in the West Bank, with security forces making arrests and seizing weapons in Bruqin, west of Ariel, and in the Balata refugee camp near Nablus.

Haaretz reported that the Israel army has “mapped” the homes of the two suspects for likely demolition. One Palestinian suspected of aiding the suspects was detained “as part of the mapping operation,” the army said.

Israeli forces also raided several other villages in the area and confiscated weapons, according to the Israeli newspaper.

Source: https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/