Israeli security forces apprehended the two terrorists who on Friday gunned down a 23-year-old security guard in Samaria, the Israel Police confirmed on Saturday evening.
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The two were apprehended by military and police forces, assisted by Shin Ben agents, in the Palestinian village of Qarawat Bani Hassan, southwest of Nablus. The weapons used in the attack were seized as well, the Shin Bet said.
According to Channel 12 News, the terrorists, both in their 20s, were surprised by the raid on their location and surrendered without incident. One of them is affiliated with Hamas and had served a short stint in an Israeli prison several years ago.
Police Commissioner Yaakov Shabtai lauded the operation.
"From the moment we learned of this incident, security forces carried out an extensive manhunt until the terrorists were apprehended," he said. "Thanks to the professional and determined operation by our counterterrorism officers, we were able to get our hands on the terrorists and the weapons that they used.
"The Israel Police operate on all fronts and with all forces, including the special forces, to thwart terrorism and arrest anyone who harms or seeks to harm Israeli citizens and security forces," Shabtai concluded.
The attack, claimed by the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, Fatah's military wing, took place at the entrance to Ariel, the largest Israeli city in Samaria, around 9 p.m. on Friday.
According to the initial investigation, including footage of the scene, a vehicle with an Israeli license plate drove up to the guard post at the western entrance to Ariel and came to a stop. Two terrorists then came out of the vehicle, opened fire at the two security guards stationed at the post, then got back into the car and sped away.
The security guard who was killed shielded a female colleague during the shooting, saving her life. She was unharmed.
Israeli media reported that the terrorists apparently used improvised Carlo submachine guns.
Israel Police and military forces launched a manhunt for the gunmen and special forces joined the search on Saturday morning. The two gunmen were in the early evening hours.
The IDF Spokesperson's Unit confirmed the shooting, saying, "Suspects in a vehicle arrived at the city of Ariel, shot at a security guard at the post at the entrance to the city and fled the scene. IDF fighters and Shin Bet officers, assisted by intelligence agents, launched a manhunt for the suspects and are blocking roads in the area."
Judea and Samaria Division Commander Brig. Gen. Avi Bluth said Saturday, "This was a serious attack and we will spare no effort to apprehend the terrorists. … We will draw the necessary conclusions lessons to prevent such incidents in the future."
It was later released that both were university students living in Ariel. The two were engaged.
Late on Friday evening, the IDF asked Israeli media to refrain from airing the footage of the shooting, which surfaced on social media soon after the shooting. The military said that airing the footage hurts the victims' families and compromises the investigation.
The move was likely one of the steps taken in the wake of the April 8 terrorist attack in Tel Aviv, during which media crews shadowed security forces throughout the initial manhunt, effectively broadcasting images that would have otherwise been classified, and earning scathing criticism from the defense establishment for compromising special forces.
Ariel Mayor Eliyahu Shaviro issued a statement saying, "A shooting attack took place at the entrance to the city. The terrorists came, fired, made a U-turn and left the city. I trust that security forces will do everything within their power to apprehend those responsible for this attack."
Friday's drive-by shooting brought to 15 the number of Israelis killed in the recent wave of terror, which erupted in early March.
Hamas, the terrorist group ruling the Gaza Strip, praised the attack.
"The operation proves that revolution is raging all over the West Bank," said Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem. "This is a practical implementation of our people's declaration that Jerusalem is a red line."
Overnight, the attack was claimed by the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, which issues a statement lauding "the heroic operation in Ariel that resulted in the death of a Zionist officer. This operation is part of the response to the Israeli aggression in Jerusalem," a masked man said in a video posted on social media.
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