Shin Bet Captures Fatah Terrorists Behind Murder of Danny Gonen
by Michael Zeff / Tazpit News Agency
The Israeli Security Agency (ISA), also known as the Shin Bet, confirmed on Wednesday the capture of the terrorists behind last month’s murder of Israeli civilian Danny Gonen.
Following a joint operation involving elite IDF units and special police forces, the Shin Bet located and arrested five suspects. Among them were four members of PA President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah party, according to an ISA statement.
On Friday, June 19, Gonen and a friend were driving back from a hiking trip when a Palestinian man pulled them over, pretending to be in distress. The Palestinian then opened fire on the two men, killing Gonen and injuring his friend.
Following the attack, a joint covert investigative and operational effort resulted in the arrest of the suspects in the vicinity of the Palestinian city of Ramallah. The apprehended suspects confessed to being involved in several terrorist attacks, including Gonen’s shooting.
Gonen’s shooter, Muhammed Abu Shaheen, 29, is a member of an elite Fatah security unit called Force 17, and receives a regular salary from the Palestinian Authority (PA). Abu Shaheen admitted to the shooting and several other terrorist attacks in the past.
Illegal arms, which include the gun used in the shooting, were also found, linking the suspects directly to the attack.
The ISA said the arrested terrorists, besides for one, are all affiliated to Fatah, which is the largest faction within the PA.