(JNS) A Palestinian man has been arrested on suspicion of intending to fire a rocket at Israelis during this year's Jerusalem Day flag parade in May, Israeli security chiefs have said.
Shin Bet named the man as Abd Al-Hakim Mahmoud Muhammad Buatna, a resident of Ajjul, a village near Ramallah.
The rocket that led to Buatna’s arrest was found in an open field in an eastern section of Jerusalem about a month ago.
It is believed that Buatna tried to build explosive rockets after learning about their production through the internet, but due to his inexperience and their poor quality he was unable to launch them.
Tens of thousands of Israelis participate in the annual flag march each year, which winds through the Muslim Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem and to the Western Wall Plaza. The march celebrates the unification of the city during the 1967 Six-Day War.
Several terrorist groups issued threats leading up to this year's celebration.
While the Shin Bet investigation found that the suspect acted alone, recent reports show that Palestinian terrorist groups were attempting to fire rockets at Israelis from the West Bank.
On May 25, the IDF found a “homemade” rocket launcher in Nazlet Zeid, near Jenin. The rocket was aimed at the Jewish village of Shaked.
On May 9, Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar revealed that Israel had recently broken up a terrorist cell near Jenin that was in the process of producing rockets intended to be fired at Israeli targets from the West Bank.