Security forces have arrested five Israeli Arabs from the western Galilee village of Makkar on suspicion of membership in a terrorist organization responsible for acts of sabotage and bombings during the last four years. The arrests, made last week, were disclosed today. The case is one of the few in which Israeli Arabs were involved in establishing a terrorist cell.
According to security sources, the group’s activities included planting bombs in Acre in 1977, planting bombs in a Nahariya supermarket, in Karmiel, in Haifa and in a bus near Acre during 1977 and 1978, causing injuries to 10 persons. A search of the suspects’ homes yielded bombs and explosives. The means by which they received their supplies and training have not been revealed.
Several persons were detained for questioning over the weekend after a hand grenade exploded on a rooftop in Acre and two other grenades were discovered nearby. No causalities or damage were reported. An Israeli painter spotted a suspicious looking object in Jaffa over the weekend and summoned police. The object turned out to be a large bomb which was safely dismantled.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
