NABLUS - Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers arrested an 18-year-old Palestinian armed with six pipe bombs and other paraphernalia at the Hawara checkpoint near the Palestinian Authority- (PA) controlled city of Nablus (biblical Shechem) Sunday.
"It's routine to find bombs at this checkpoint," IDF Corporal Ron Bezalel told Army Radio.
The pipe bombs, an ammunition cartridge and bullets showed up on the scanner. The would-be bomber also had a pouch filled with what appeared to be gunpowder.
The Shin Bet took the youth in for questioning, while sappers safely detonated the bombs.
Three weeks ago, IDF soldiers at the Hawara checkpoint thwarted another potential terror attack, killing a 20-year-old Palestinian with five pipe bombs secured in a vest under his shirt.
Earlier Sunday, IDF soldiers dismantled 10 checkpoints under orders from Defense Minister Ehud Barak and IDF Chief of General Staff Gabi Ashkenazi.
Nahman Zoldan, whose son Ido was murdered by Palestinians last November in a drive-by shooting in the area, sent a letter to Barak asking that he reconsider removing the roadblocks.
"Removing roadblocks means gambling with Israeli lives and exposes us to shootings and suicide bombing attempts," Zoldan wrote.
"Israeli citizens are currently exposed to shootings and suicide bombing attempts in Judea and Samaria [the West Bank] by infiltrators who wish to enter out country," he wrote.
"As someone who buried a son as a result of a drive-by shooting perpetrated by Palestinians, I urge you not to trust security promises made by the Palestinian Authority," Zoldan concluded.
Source: Haaretz