JERUSALEM (JTA) — A Palestinian man was arrested in the murder of an Israeli man who was shot at point-blank range in the West Bank.
Mohammed Abu Shaheen, 30, of Kalandiya, located between Jerusalem and Ramallah, was taken into custody on Wednesday in a joint operation of the Israel Defense Forces and the Shin Bet security service, each said in a statement. Shaheen reportedly is an employee of the Palestinian Authority.
Danny Gonen, 25, of Lod in central Israel, and a friend had stopped their car on June 19 after being flagged down by a Palestinian man asking about the spring they had just come from near the West Bank settlement of Dolev. Shaheen then allegedly open fire on the Israelis. Gonen died on the way to the hospital. His passenger, Netanel Hadad, was wounded in the legs.
Four other members of the terror cell to which Shaheen allegedly belonged, all residents of Kalandiya, also were arrested on Wednesday, and a cache of weapons was seized.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised Israel’s security agencies for apprehending the alleged assailant.
“Now that it becomes clear that this was a Palestinian Authority man, it will be interesting to see if the Palestinian Authority condemns the murder or continues its silence,” he said in a statement. “Those who do not attack terrorism will, in the end, be attacked by it.”
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