Israel thwarts Hamas shooting attack plan

Israel's Security Service (the Shin Bet) said Tuesday it has arrested two Hamas activists, who planned to carry out a shooting attack on a military checkpoint east of Jerusalem during a recent Jewish holiday.

A statement by the Shin Bet said that the suspects, who were arrested early March, planned to open fire at soldiers at the Abu Dis checkpoint in the Palestinian West Bank during last month's Jewish holiday of Purim.

According to the Shin Bet, the suspects were in "advanced stages" of planning. They carried out firearms training, gathered information on targets and bought a Hyundai Elantra as a getaway vehicle.

During their arrest, police also confiscated a Kalashnikov machine gun, a 9 mm pistol and 40 rounds of ammunition.

The Shin Bet named Hamas member Nur al-Din Ahmad Shaer as the "leader of the terror cell." Shaer, a 32-year-old resident of the village of Burqa in the West Bank, worked at the Abu Dis University's cafeteria.

He served in Israeli prison from 2009-2011 for his involvement in a shooting attack on Israeli soldiers.

The second suspect is Daud Raja Adwan, a 32-year-old resident of al-Azariya, who also served time in Israeli prison in the past.

Shaer and Adwan are expected to be indicated at the Judea Military Court in the next few days.

The investigation "indicates Hamas' high motivations to carry out attacks in Jerusalem and its surroundings," the Shin Bet said.

The arrest was made amid soaring tensions between Arab and Jews in Jerusalem, mainly over access to the al-Aqsa Mosque compound, a holy place to Muslims and Jews. Endit