Female terror suspect detained; Jerusalem bombing averted

Shin Bet arrests 17-year-old girl; would-be bomber says she was motivated by hatred for Jews

Aviram Zino
Published: 02.28.08, 17:58 / Israel News

Terror attack thwarted: The Shin Bet has detained a Palestinian girl from a village near Jerusalem about three weeks ago on suspicion that she planned to carry out a suicide bombing in Jerusalem. The story was only cleared for publication Thursday.

Security officials suspect that the young woman sought to join Islamic Jihad in order to carry out the attack, which was already in planning stages.

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The suspect, a 17-year-old girl from the village of Abu Tur, south of Jerusalem, was detained after the Shin Bet received intelligence information about her intentions. The girl's interrogation revealed that she turned to Islamic Jihad members several months ago with the purpose of joining the group and carrying out a terror attack in the Jerusalem area.

The girl said that she wanted to join the organization because of what she characterized as her hatred for Jews, as well as personal problems.

Several other suspects detained

After the suspect approached Islamic Jihad, members of the group began to look into bringing the girl into the organization. She passed several tests in order to ensure she was not collaborating with Israel's security services and then traveled to Mecca and started a speedy recruitment process in order to carry out an attack in Jerusalem.

The girl was interrogated upon her arrest and confessed to the charges. Her remand was extended Thursday for the second time, and an indictment is expected to be served against her this coming Sunday. The terror suspect claims that her relatives knew nothing of her plans to become a suicide bomber.

Security officials discovered that the attack in question was already in planning stages, but its exact target had not yet been decided. In addition to the girl, security forces detained several other suspects on suspicion of planning the attack, but no details were provided regarding their involvement because they are still undergoing an interrogation

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