Israel on Monday revealed the last member of the four-man terror cell from the West Bank, which was in the last stages of planning a terror attack, was apprehended with the help of the military's prestigious canine unit.
The troops were on a hunt to detain the last member of the cell squad, three other members of which were eliminated by security forces late on Saturday, while the fourth terrorist escaped.
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Member of the IDF canine unit in pursuit of terror suspects
(Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit)
The Shin Bet had indications that the man would attempt to carry out an attack as he was on the run.
The suspect was tracked down and on Sunday troops entered the village of Shuweika, near the West Bank city of Tulkarm and surrounded the house where he was sheltering.
They called on anyone inside the house to leave but then two figures were seen jumping out of one of the windows and attempting to escape.
Mido, the canine on duty, ran towards them and allowed the force to apprehend both the terrorist and his brother, suspected of assisting him.
In their search, the troops found the suspect's weapon and ammunition inside his vehicle. The security forces said he had also dealt in the illegal arms trade.
Commander of the canine unit told Ynet that his forces have participated in many operations to detain terror suspects and assisted in the apprehension of weapons and ammunition.
"There is no military operation of worth, conducted without the participation of canines," he said. "This was not Mido's first successful operation."
The Belgium Sheppard was born in western Europe three years ago and began training with the IDF just six months ago.
The canine unit in addition to its dogs, also uses advanced technology including miniature cameras positioned on the animal's back, in their deployment. The dogs are trained to attack escaped suspects and stop them.
"They receive specialized training to ignore the sounds of gunfire and explosives and avoid harm to innocent bystanders just as they are taught to differentiate between IDF troops and enemy actors," the commander said.
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IDF troops on hunt for terror suspect on the West Bank on Sunday
(Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit)
He added that the canines had uncovered hidden weapons as well as suspects attempting to evade detection.
Mido and his handler are deployed along side elite units all over the West Bank and are also capable of detecting explosive devices.
Their use in in sensitive areas such as mosques or demonstrations was suspended after disturbing images of a dog attacking a demonstrator appeared on social media.
First published: 11:07, 04.04.22