By GREG TEPPERM-16 rifle rabbi meir chai 248 88(photo credit: Israel Police)
Border policemen on Tuesday arrested a Palestinian youth from Nablus in possession of a knife on Rehov Hagai in Jerusalem's Old City.
The youth said that he had acquired the knife with intent to stab Jews in order to avenge the recent killing of three Fatah Al-Aksa Martyrs Brigades operatives during an IDF operation in Nablus, who were wanted by security forces for the murder of Rabbi Meir Chai.
Border Police Cmdr. Israel Yitzhak said the Border Police officers' "alertness and professionalism prevented a terrorist attack and saved lives."
The suspect was transferred for interrogation.
Days after Chai was gunned down in late December near his home in northern Samaria, IDF troops shot and killed the three men behind the fatal attack, the first in the West Bank since April.
The three Fatah Al-Aksa Martyrs Brigades operatives - Raed Sarkaji, 38, Ghassan Abu Sharekh, 39, and Anan Subuh, 40 - who the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) had discovered were members of the cell that murdered Chai - were killed after refusing to surrender. A fourth member of the cell gave himself up to Palestinian Authority security forces.
In the last week of December, the Aksa Martyrs Brigades claimed responsibility for firing two Grad-type rockets at the Netivot area from Gaza, also in revenge for the death of the operatives.
In related news, a Palestinian in possession of a knife was arrested near the Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hebron on Tuesday after arousing the suspicions of Border Police. The suspect told police that he intended to attack soldiers and police officers.
The man was transferred to Hebron Police for interrogation.
Yaakov Katz and Jpost.com staff contributed to this report
