WATCH: Police arrest terror-suspect after chase through the Negev desert

Police foiled a planned attack on a synagogue in the Negev last month in September, according to a police statement on Wednesday.

The police arrested an illegal resident of the country before he was able to carry out the attack.

Police received intelligence that an illegal resident living among the Kuseifa Bedouin diaspora was planning to carry out an attack on a synagogue about a month ago.

Police began scanning the area for someone who fit the description, leading to a foot chase followed by police firing warning shots in the air. Police arrested the suspect, who was taken for questioning and held for an extended time.

Operation "Emergency Brake"

The suspect, a 17-year-old from Yatta, near Hebron, was arrested as part of Operation "Emergency Brake," which was launched in September as a crackdown on illegal residents staying in the country.

So far, 38 illegal residents have been arrested, and 11 Israeli employers, smugglers, and drivers were arrested just in the Aror district.

Police Southern District commander Asst.-Ch. Amir Cohen ordered the closure of three businesses found to be employing illegal residents for 30 days. The businesses were a bakery, a grocery store and a falafel restaurant.

The police have begun cracking down on illegal residents as illegal entrants carry out many terror attacks to Israel.

The crack-down has ramped up recently due to the total ban on Palestinian workers entering Israel for work.