A suspect in the November double bombing in Jerusalem was detained by Israeli security forces, a joint statement from the Israel Police and the Shin Bet domestic intelligence service said Tuesday.
Islam Faroh, 26, was originally detained on November 29, but his arrest was not cleared for publication until now due to a gag order.
Islam Faroh
(Gil Yochanan)
Faroh is a resident of a neighborhood in east Jerusalem, and was described by the Israeli authorities as a lone attacker driven by ideology akin to that of Islamic State. The terrorist had been unknown to Israel's security services prior to the November 23 attack.
A prosecutor's statement was filed against Faroh on Tuesday, in preparation for an indictment.
In response to the news of the arrest, outgoing Prime Minister Yair Lapid praised the actions of security forces. "As we promised, Israel will get its hands on any terrorist or terrorist organizations," Lapid said.
The first explosive device of the double bombing attack went off at a busy bus stop at Jerusalem's main exit during rush hour, and the second, 30 minutes later, hit a bus stop near an outlying settlement.
Two Israelis were killed in the bombings. Aryeh Shechopek, a 16-year-old student, died at the scene of the explosion. Another victim, 50-year-old Tadasa Tashume Ben Ma'ada, passed away from his wounds in Shaare Zedek Medical Center three days later.
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Aryeh Shechopek and Tadasa Tashume Ben Ma'ada
(Photo: Haim Goldish, Courtesy of the family)
Immediately after the fatal incident, the Shin Bet, IDF, and Police forces launched a widespread investigation, to which hundreds of people contributed.
Shortly thereafter, the forces discovered that the culprit arrived at the locations with a motorcycle, planted the explosive devices and fled. The motorcycle was traced and found, and with it the terrorist's clothes, a helmet, five additional explosives, and additional weaponry.
Despite the license plate number having been blurred out, the investigating forces managed to link the motorcycle back to a Jewish civilian from southern Israel. These findings indicate that the vehicle was stolen and eventually found its way to a store in east Jerusalem.
The intense investigations led the forces to the suspect's workplace at the Mishor Adumim industrial zone on November 29, where Faroh was arrested by special troops of the police.
Faroh, having no criminal record, is the son of two doctors and a graduate of the Azrieli College of Engineering in Jerusalem, where he attained a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering, as well as extensive technical knowledge that helped him plan out the attack.
While he is not a member of the Islamic State, the investigators claim that he acted out of Jihad ideology and plotted the attack for a long time before carrying it out.
The 26-year-old terrorist apparently learned to make explosives on the internet, where he also consumed terror-affiliated content.
On the day of the attack, Faroh planted the explosives about an hour before he planned on setting them off simultaneously through his phone at 7:23am. Fortunately, the third explosive - also the biggest one - did not go off due to a glitch on his phone.
Faroh admitted during the investigations that he was responsible for the attack, but did not apologize for his actions. He also emphasized that he did not go into hiding after the attack, and continued going to work and sleeping at his home.
i24NEWS contributed to this report.
First published: 14:05, 12.27.22