Israel’s Shin Bet security agency has reportedly arrested three suspects, including at least one Jewish Israeli, following a triple bus bombing attack in the Tel Aviv area.
Three buses exploded near Tel Aviv and bombs were found on two others on Thursday night in what is being investigated as a coordinated attack.
All of the explosions occurred in parked, empty buses, and left no injuries.
There were claims the devices had meant to explode at 930am and 10am on Friday morning, rather than at the same time the previous evening.
Reports in Israel suggested the Jewish Israeli arrested is suspected of driving at least one of the apparent terrorists who set off bombs on empty buses in the Tel Aviv suburbs of Bat Yam and Holon
The Jewish Israeli suspect will be brought for a remand hearing on Friday.
Additionally, a Palestinian illegally in Israel was also reportedly detained in connection to the attack as well as at least one other suspect.
Following the incident Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instructed the IDF to embark on a massive operation in the West Bank against terrorist hubs, according to his office.
He also instructed the police and Shin Bet to “increase preventative activities” in Israel’s cities to stop further attacks.
At least one of the bombs bore a note, in Arabic and Hebrew, that stated “revenge from the Tulkarem refugee camp,” a reference to the West Bank camp where security forces have been conducting operations, Channel 12 News reported.
Five explosive devices, all with timers set to go off simultaneously, were found in what was intended to be a “strategic terrorist attack.
Israel Katz, the defense minister, directed the IDF to increase “the intensity of activities to thwart terrorism in the Tulkarm refugee camp and in the refugee camps in Judea and Samaria in general” following what he called “serious terrorist attacks attempted.”
Miri Regev, the Israeli transportation minister, instructed the National Public Transport Authority to “stop and inspect all buses, heavy trains and light rails and act in accordance with the instructions of the Shin Bet and the police.”
