Police detain 5 Shabab al-Aksa activists on Temple Mount

Special security measures in place for Yom Kippur.

SEPTEMBER 18, 2018 12:35

Snow on the Dome of the Rock in the compound known to Muslims as Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as Temple Mount, in Jerusalem's Old City is seen from the Mount of Olives January 9 (photo credit: REUTERS) — Snow on the Dome of the Rock in the compound known to Muslims as Noble Sanctuary and to Jews as Temple Mount, in Jerusalem's Old City is seen from the Mount of Olives January 9

(photo credit: REUTERS)

Police units in Jerusalem arrested five Arab suspects on the Temple Mount on Tuesday morning who allegedly disrupted the regular visits taking place on the Temple Mount.

Police said they repeatedly requested that the five activists from the Shabab al-Aksa terrorist group stop causing disruptions and they detained the suspects and removed them from the area after they continued to do so.

Shabab al-Aksa is a religious organization and is seen as Hamas’s long-arm at the Temple Mount. The organization was outlawed in August 2011, and in November 2016, it was declared by Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman to be a terrorist organization. Members of the organizations were active in violent clashes with police and visitors on the Temple Mount in recent years.

Regular police security measures continue in and around the Temple Mount area to prevent any further incidents, police said.

Police units, border police and officers were carrying out security measures around synagogues and public places across the country from the eve of Yom Kippur on Tuesday until Wednesday evening when the fast ends.

Security was reinforced in Jerusalem in and around the old city and the Western Wall area.

Thousands of people were expected to visit the Western Wall area throughout the fast.

Udi Shaham contributed to this report