A Palestinian terrorist armed with an improvised submachine gun and two bombs was arrested by police officers in the central city of Jaffa on Thursday, on his way to carrying out a “massacre” in Tel Aviv, police said.
The 19-year-old Palestinian from the West Bank city of Nablus was in Israel without a permit. While standing near Jaffa’s iconic clock tower – a major tourist attraction, the teenage terrorist aroused the suspicion of officers from the elite Yassam unit.
They approached him and checked a large bag he was carrying, in which they found a makeshift machine gun often used by Palestinians and two pipe bombs filled with nails.
Police arrested the terrorist who confessed he was looking for a crowded area to explode the bombs.
“He was looking to commit a massacre,” Police Chief Kobi Shabtai said.
A Yassam officer confirmed to Breitbart the young terrorist wanted to inflict as much harm as possible.
“He wanted to ‘go big’ and be remembered as a martyr,” the officer told Breitbart.
Another suspect was detained nearby in his car, and is suspected of driving the would-be bomber to the city.
The terrorist was arrested in April after smuggling a knife into the Temple Mount compound in Jerusalem and was sentenced to four months in prison.
Prime Minister Yair Lapid in a statement said police prevented a “significant terrorist attack.”
“The State of Israel will act forcefully and without compromise against those who try to harm us. I commend the security forces for apprehending the terrorists in Tel Aviv-Yafo and preventing a significant terrorist attack,” he said in a statement.
“We must continue to act with all the tools at our disposal to restore security and stability to the region.”
The incident comes amid an uptick in violence and terror activities, mostly from West Bank Palestinians.
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