Illustrative: Israeli troops guard, at the scene of a shooting, near Hebron, in the West Bank, August 21, 2023. REUTERS/Mussa Qawasma

i24 News — The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Shin Bet security agency (ISA) forces have made a breakthrough in the case of a bomb attack last month involving an improvised explosive device (IED) attached to a Palestinian Authority (PA) flag in the Binyamin region of the West Bank.

Muhammad Atallah Abu Alia, 22, was apprehended earlier this week on suspicion of his involvement in the attack, which left a 25-year-old IDF reservist lightly wounded when the device detonated while he attempted to remove the flag near the town of Kochav Hashachar.

According to reports, during interrogation by the ISA, Alia confessed to his participation in constructing the explosive device and carrying out the attack.

Additionally, materials used in the creation of the IED were seized during his arrest.

The soldier wounded in the attack recounted his experience, stating, “I saw a flag on the left side of the road, we came to take it down, I kicked it — and the flag exploded on me from the side.”

Describing the explosion, he added, “It was a large blast, but luckily I kicked it and the explosion happened on the side and not directly on top of me. I was injured by shrapnel on my hands and that was it. The charge was buried in the ground.”