Shin Bet foils Museum attack

TEL AVIV - Security authorities have foiled a plan in February to stage a terror attack at the Armored Corps Museum at Latrun, near the Tel Aviv-Jerusalem Highway. The story was cleared for publication Monday. The General Security Service says a Popular Front cell planned to dispatch two suicide bombers and a car bomb to the busy tourist site. Yousef George Daoud, 27, was arrested in February on suspicion of masterminding the plot, which also included Nadel Mahmed Yousef Abu Alma and Fahmi Basil Avodi, who were detained in January. Under investigation, the trio admitted they were planning the attack. They picked the site because one of the terrorists was familiar with the area from a former job at the nearby Trappist Monastery. In addition, the group planned a shooting attack on an IDF jeep on the Ramallah bypass road. According to Abu Alma, they charted IDF movements in the area, and even sought out hiding places in Bir Zeit in which to hide the kidnapped bodies of their victims. Gaza connection- via the internet Meanwhile, a Hamas member from Jerusalem’s Old City was arrested in March, in another case released for publication Monday. Ashraf Daya admitted under investigation he was recruited by Hamas’ military wing in Gaza and that he intended to stage a terror attack in Israel. Ashraf was introduced to Hamas by older brothers on a family visit to Gaza. Once he agreed, he met other Hamas activists and received instruction in preparing explosives, and told to keep in touch via the Internet. No Israelis were killed in terror attacks in March, but 11 were wounded. By contrast, 60 people were wounded in February, and 54 in January. But security officials warned that the number of terror warnings remains high, with nearly 150 warnings in the first three months of the year. 2 boys detained Meanwhile, IDF soldiers have detained two 15-year-old Palestinian boys at a checkpoint south of the West Bank town of Nablus. The two were carrying pipe bombs and are suspected of planning to attack troops. The two youngsters aroused the soldiers’ suspicions as they approached the checkpoint. After being instructed to stop, one of the boys pulled out one of his pipe bombs. Later, the second boy attempted to stab a soldier. The two were detained and taken for interrogation by security authorities. No injuries were reported in the incident.

Shin Bet foils Museum attack

Popular Front cell planned to dispatch two suicide bombers, car bomb to Armored Corps Museum; meanwhile, two 15-year-old boys who planned to attack soldiers detained in West Bank