The assailants, affiliated with the Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist organizations, opened fire on a bus and multiple civilian vehicles on Highway 55.
By JNS
Israeli security forces have arrested the mastermind behind the Jan. 6 terrorist shooting in the Samarian village of al-Funduq which left three Israeli civilians dead and several others wounded.
The suspect was apprehended overnight Tuesday in Jenin by Israel Defense Forces troops operating with Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) intelligence.
The operation, carried out in the eastern neighborhood of the city, targeted the orchestrator of the attack that killed police officer Elad Winkelstein, 35; Rachel Cohen, 70; and Aliza Reiz, 73.
The assailants, affiliated with the Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist organizations, opened fire on a bus and multiple civilian vehicles on Highway 55. Eight others sustained injuries in the ambush.
Following weeks of manhunts, two of the attackers were eliminated by Israeli forces near Jenin on Jan. 22. A third assailant was neutralized in April during a separate counterterror raid.
In a concurrent overnight operation in the nearby town of Qabatiya, five suspects affiliated with the Islamic State (ISIS) terror group were arrested. Security sources said the cell was involved in planning attacks in the area.
Meanwhile, IDF forces from the Etzion Brigade, operating alongside Israel Police in the town of al-Khader near Bethlehem, arrested additional suspects linked to terrorist activity along Route 60.
Troops confiscated some 250,000 shekels ($70,137) in terror financing, in addition to firearms and ammunition.
In a separate operation in the Hebron sector, two military-grade rifles—an M16 and an M4—along with magazines and ammunition, were discovered and seized.
The operations form part of ongoing Israeli counterterrorism efforts across Judea and Samaria to dismantle terrorist infrastructure and safeguard civilian life.
