Israeli security forces apprehended Palestinian terrorists responsible for shooting and wounding four Israelis in several attacks in the Hebron area in recent months.
The Shin Bet (Israeli Security Agency) announced on Monday that they arrested a Hamas terror cell, which consisted of brothers Nasser Faisal Muhammad Badwi, 23, and Akram Faisal Muhammad Badwi, 33, who had carried out several attacks on the Tomb of the Patriarchs and on an IDF checkpoint in the vicinity of the city.
On November 6, they shot at worshipers at the Tomb of the Patriarchs and wounded one victim. After the shooting, they proceeded to attend a cousin’s wedding.
In this attack, as in subsequent attacks, they climbed to the third floor of a building owned by their father overlooking the holy site and fired at any Israelis they spotted.
Israeli security forces uncovered a homemade sniper rifle used in the attacks, which the terrorists kept hidden in a mosque, as well as a Carl Gustav machine pistol and a silencer made from an oil filter, which they had learned to construct from an online clip.
In another attack on November 25, they fired at a group of soldiers near the Tomb of the Patriarchs, but managed only to hit a parked car.
They later decided to attack an IDF checkpoint in the vicinity, but in most incidents the soldiers did not even hear the shots fired at them.
On January 3, the brothers fired at a group of soldiers standing near the Tomb of the Patriarchs, moderately wounding a female officer. From there, they went to a nearby quarry, which they used again as cover to shoot at the IDF checkpoint. In that incident, they managed to wound one soldier lightly.
Nasser was arrested on January 9, and a week later Akram was arrested shortly after trying to carry out another shooting attack in an attempt to remove suspicion from his brother.
By: Max Gelber, United with Israel