Three Breslov Hasidic men were detained by Israeli police for questioning after their vehicle entered the Palestinian village of Mukhmas (Mukhmas) early Thursday morning, following a police traffic chase on Route 60 near Sha'ar Binyamin, according to i24NEWS. The group reported feeling threatened but later exited the village on their own, and the earlier kidnapping protocol was downgraded.
Three Breslov Hasidic men were detained by Israeli police for questioning early Thursday morning after their vehicle exited the Palestinian village of Mukhmas in the Binyamin region, following a police chase that triggered a kidnapping protocol. The men left the village on their own around 09:30 Jerusalem time, and the kidnapping alert was subsequently downgraded, according to i24NEWS.
The incident began around 04:00 when the group reported being inside the village and feeling threatened. The IDF activated a 'kidnapping protocol' involving helicopters and special units, as The Zioneer reported at 07:35. The alert was scaled back after two of the vehicle's occupants were located in Jerusalem (07:30). By 09:19, the IDF confirmed that all Israelis had exited the village. Police later detained three suspects for questioning, as reported at 09:14.
The group was initially described as a vehicle carrying about nine Breslov Hasidic worshippers who fled a police traffic stop on Route 60 near Sha'ar Binyamin. The vehicle was found empty and damaged in Mukhmas, and the IDF launched a search with air support. The Zioneer earlier reported that the police chase stemmed from a severe traffic violation.
The exact circumstances of the traffic violation and the events inside the village remain under investigation. No Palestinian suspects have been reported arrested. The whereabouts of the remaining six individuals initially reported as part of the group have not been confirmed.
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