Police break up bomb-making ring in Galilee village

Three Deir el-Asad residents arrested in raid.

By YAAKOV LAPPIN
IDF arrest 224.88 (photo credit: AP [file])
IDF arrest 224.88
(photo credit: AP [file])
Karmiel police raided a number of sites used to manufacture bombs in the Galilee village of Deir el-Asad on Sunday, arresting three residents. The raid was launched as part of a clampdown on feuds between clans and criminal organizations in the area. It came after an intensive undercover investigation run in conjunction with the Border Police's Ofek Unit that lasted for several months. Police say the sites were used as small factories to assemble explosives. "We seized tools used to create improvised explosives," Dep.-Cmdr. Rami Namian, head of the Karmiel Police, told The Jerusalem Post. "They were designed for use inside the village," Namian said, adding that the investigation was still at a tentative stage. Galilee Police spokesman Ch.-Insp. Eran Shaked said the explosives were not being sold to far-off criminal organizations. "They weren't ending up in Tel Aviv," he said. Police also seized a vehicle that the suspects had allegedly planned to drive to throw the explosives at targets. The Acre Magistrate's Court extended the three suspects' remand on Sunday afternoon, by three, five, and seven days, respectively. The men have been charged with the manufacture and use of explosives.