Border Police officers blocked an axe-toting Arab from carrying out a terror attack near Jerusalem early Thursday morning.
Officers operating near the Palestinian Authority village of Beit Jala, close to Jerusalem, noticed an Arab man trying to hide an unusual object underneath his clothing, a spokesperson said.
The suspect, a 29-year-old resident of Bethlehem, was ordered to drop to the ground. When he did, an axe dropped to the ground along with him.
“The alertness and preparedness of the soldiers as well as their determination and readiness to engage [with the suspect] prevented a terrorist attack,” said the Border Police spokesperson.
Security personnel immediately arrested the suspect. During questioning he told investigators he was planning to travel to Jerusalem to attack an IDF soldier.