Discovered: Palestinian Weapons Hidden in Jerusalem Falafel Shop

For the third time in recent months, police discovered lethal weapons stored by Palestinians in seemingly innocuous locations, including a falafel stand in eastern Jerusalem.

Jerusalem police located military equipment stored in two locations – an apartment and a falafel shop – in Palestinian neighborhoods in eastern Jerusalem Sunday morning. The search was carried out as part of the ongoing effort to prevent crime and terror attacks.

In the garden of a house located in Ras al-Amud, southeast of the Old City, police units discovered a bag buried in the ground containing six pipe bombs, two stun grenades, a Carl Gustav rifle, firearm magazines and ammunition. The owner of the property was arrested shortly after the discovery.

In a separate search of a falafel stand on Sultan Suleiman street near Damascus Gate, police found and confiscated two pipe bombs, magazines and ammunition. The owner of the falafel stand, a resident of Wadi al-Joz, an Arab neighborhood in eastern Jerusalem, was also arrested and is currently under investigation.

A spokesman from Jerusalem’s District Police said that the military equipment was being checked. “The equipment was taken from the point of discovery, and security is continuing to scour the area with an emphasis on Ras al-Amud,” he stated.

The local Jerusalem police commander praised the actions of the police units. “The professional intelligence and investigation actions of the police, law and order units, border police of the Kedem region located and caught military material that could have potentially been used for terror attacks or criminal purposes. They prevented a serious attack on innocent people and security personnel,” he said.

This is the third time in recent months that such weapons has been found in seemingly innocuous locations. In early November, detectives, assisted by sniffer dogs, located several pipe bombs, improvised guns and ammunition hidden near the Jerusalem District Court. Shortly afterwards, an Arab father and son were arrested on suspicion of having a connection to the material.

In December, during an overnight raid, the IDF discovered lethal weapons, including Carlo guns, ammunition and knives, concealed in a shop in Qalandiya, a Palestinian village between Jerusalem and Ramallah.

By: Alexander J. Apfel/TPS