Israel: Palestinian Terrorist Axe Murderers Caught Alive After 60-Hour Manhunt

Palestinian Axe Murderer Terrorist Captured Israel

Israeli security forces have captured two terrorists who hacked to death three Israelis in the city of Elad, ending a massive manhunt which began following Thursday night’s attack.

The two terrorist, identified as 19-year-old As’ad Alrafa’ani and 20-year-old Sabhi abu Shakir, murdered three Israeli civilians and injured seven others in Elad, a predominately Orthodox Jewish city east of Tel Aviv.

The terrorist duo, who Palestinian terror groups cheered as their “heroes,” were caught hiding under a bush outside Elad, Israeli news reports suggest. “IDF, Shin Bet and Israel Police say in a joint statement As’ad Alrafa’ani and Sabhi Abu Shakir were caught hiding behind a bush in a quarry near Elad,” the Israeli media outlet Ynet reported.

Their victims were identified as 44-year-old Yonatan Havakuk, 49-year Boaz Gol, and 35-year-old Oren Ben Yiftah. “Havavuk and Gol were residents of Elad and each fathers of five. Yiftah was a resident of Lod and a father of six,” the Israeli TV channel i24News noted.

The Jerusalem Post reported the successful conclusion of the manhunt:

Israeli security forces caught the two terrorists who carried out a deadly attack in Elad, four days after they went on a rampage in the city.IDF forces, Shin Bet officers and police caught the two suspects 19-year-old As’sad al-Rifai and 20-year-old Emad Subhi Abu Shqeir, both from Rumana in the Jenin area of the West Bank, alive in a forested area close to Elad near Park Nahshonim.They were located after a massive manhunt where security forces including special forces from the IDF’s commando units, advanced technologies including intelligence, canine units and helicopters.On Saturday a force consisting of Shin Bet officers as well as troops from the IDF’s Maglan commando unit and Mirol Reserve Unit identified suspicious objects in the area, which led security forces to concentrate around a quarry. The force returned to the area on Sunday morning and identified suspicious movement and arrested the two.

The Thursday’s deadly attack in Elad is part of a terror wave which began in the wake of Ramadan, the Muslim fasting month. Nineteen Israelis have so far been murdered by Palestinian and Islamist terrorists since mid-March.

The terror wave has been accompanied by Palestinian violence in Jerusalem. Amid incitement by Muslim clerics in mosques, Palestinian mobs assaulted Jewish worshipers and clashed with Israeli police in the Holy City.

Confronted with the escalating Palestinian violence, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett urged country’s gun owners to carry their weapons. He also favored the easing the gun license requirements for the citizens.

On Sunday, Prime Minister Bennett called for more public involvement in combatting terrorism by proposing the formation a “civilian national guard.”

Israeli TV channel i24News reported the Bennett government’s plan:

Israel’s Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said on Sunday that the government will establish a “civilian national guard” to fight terrorism amid a series of violent attacks over the past two months.The remarks were made at the weekly cabinet meeting after earlier in the day security forces captured two Palestinian suspects accused of committing an axe rampage in Elad on Thursday night that killed three people. (…)”Capturing the terrorists is not enough,” Bennett said. “We are in a new phase in the war on terror. The highest-priority task for the Israeli government is to restore personal security to the citizens of Israel.”Bennett said that the country’s National Security Council and the Public Security Ministry are responsible for presenting a proposal for a new national guard this month.

Meanwhile, Gaza-based terrorist group Hamas vowed to unleash suicide bombings and rocket attacks against Israel if its terror operatives were targeted by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

“We will burn the cities in [Israel’s] center and launch missiles at Tel Aviv and Gush Dan if Israel acts on its threats, those of which surpasses the enemy’s imagination,” Hamas threatened in a statement reported by Israeli public broadcaster Kan on Saturday.

Tags: Israel, Palestinian Incitement, Palestinian Terror

CLICK HERE FOR FULL VERSION OF THIS STORY