Court releases masked Israeli who attempted to illegally enter Rujeib in area A

An 18-year-old resident of Itamar was released on Sunday under restrictive conditions after being arrested Saturday on suspicion of planning to carry out a "price tag" attack in Rujeib, Walla reported.

The judge made the decision because he did not believe there was enough evidence to determine that the subject was guilty of any illegal act. The 18-year-old was arrested after being spotted by IDF forces near the village of Rujeib, close to Itamar, where he and six others were masked and in possession of pepper spray.

The suspect was brought before the court, which rejected the police's request to extend his detention by five days and ordered his release.

On Saturday, Police went to see the suspect where he was held for questioning after being detained for five hours by IDF soldiers, KAN News reported, citing operational reports of soldiers on the ground and confirmation by several different security sources.

When these Israeli suspects attempted to enter the village of Rujeib early on Saturday, IDF troops were sent to stop them.

IDF troops sent to stop them

Upon spotting the soldiers, the six managed to escape, except for the one who was detained by a soldier. The suspect was detained by the IDF, but the police refused to arrest him at the time, according to KAN News.

However, in a statement to KAN News, Israel Police stated, "Contrary to the claims made by unidentified 'security sources,' it should be clarified that the incident was not reported to the police, and therefore, the claim that the police refused to arrest the suspect is false." 

"Only following your inquiry did the police become aware of the incident, and immediately, a proactive request was made to the military command, and a patrol was sent to take the detainee into custody. Any other claim is untrue," the statement concluded.