Israeli police say officers spotted a vehicle committing a severe traffic violation on Route 60 near Sha'ar Binyamin early Thursday morning. The car fled into the Palestinian village of Mukhmas, prompting a pursuit and IDF search. After civilians reported that they were the vehicle's occupants and had exited the village, police opened an investigation and detained several Israeli suspects.
Early Thursday morning, police detained several Israeli suspects following a vehicle pursuit that began on Route 60 near Sha'ar Binyamin and ended in the Palestinian village of Mukhmas. Officers had observed a severe traffic violation—crossing a solid dividing line—and attempted to stop the car, which fled into the village. This triggered a pursuit and an IDF-assisted search. After two civilians contacted the 100 emergency line claiming to be the occupants and stating they had left the village, police opened an investigation and detained several Israeli suspects. The detentions were reported by The Zioneer at 09:13 Thursday.
The incident is the latest in a sequence of events in and around Mukhmas earlier that morning. At 07:17, the IDF declared a major kidnapping event after a vehicle was found destroyed in the village with nine Israelis unaccounted for. By 07:34, security forces had located all occupants—Breslov Hasidim who had fled a police chase—and ruled out a security incident. Earlier thread versions (07:34) described a vehicle lost after a police chase, with one passenger reporting an assault, followed by contact established and all reported safe. The current case appears to be a separate traffic-related event involving the same village.
The earlier episode began just after a separate kidnapping alert was declared at 07:17, which was scaled back by 07:35 after occupants were located in Jerusalem, according to The Zioneer's background reporting. The broader context includes several recent security incidents along West Bank routes, including a car-theft suspect who breached the Hizma checkpoint on June 30 and a Palestinian suspect shot after ramming officers at Hashmonaim on June 16.
It remains unclear what specific traffic violation led to the initial stop, whether the two civilians who contacted police are among the detained suspects, and what charges may be filed. Police have not disclosed further details about the investigation or the identity of the detainees.
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