A Palestinian resident of the Kalandia refugee camp was arrested Monday after Border Police observation soldiers spotted him digging a shaft near the separation fence. The suspect, 36, told investigators he intended to dig a tunnel to infiltrate into Israel, according to Israeli security sources. Excavation tools and buckets were found at the site. Two additional suspects remain at large.
This bulletin supplements our earlier report (published 15:11 Jerusalem) on the arrest of a Kalandia camp resident for digging a tunnel shaft near the separation fence. Additional details released Monday afternoon indicate that the suspect, age 36, told investigators the tunnel was intended for smuggling illegal residents into Israeli territory. According to Moriah Asraf and Doron Kadosh (N13 / Army Radio), the shaft was dug just 15 meters from the separation fence. Two additional suspects who were involved in the digging remain at large; security forces are searching for them. The shaft was discovered by Border Police observation soldiers, who spotted several suspects digging near the fence. When forces arrived, the suspects fled, leading to a foot chase and the arrest of one. Excavation tools and buckets were found at the site. This incident follows a similar tunnel shaft discovered several months ago near the A-Za'im crossing east of Jerusalem (as The Zioneer reported on June 24). That shaft, located in a similar manner, was also intended for infiltration or smuggling. The current event underscores the persistent threat of underground activity along the Jerusalem seam line.
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Source and signal
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