Security forces arrested two Palestinians directly outside the Tekoa settlement in the West Bank on Tuesday.
One of the suspects is the nephew of Amar Abu Eisha, the suspected kidnapper and murderer of Gil-Ad Shaer, Eyal Yifrah and Naftali Fraenkel in June. Abu Eisha was killed in September during a shootout with the IDF.
Residents of Tekoa managed to capture one of the suspects near the community's security fence. The second suspect was captured by IDF security forces. Both had intended to carry out attacks on Israelis. One was caught in possession of a knife, but it was not clear if that was Abu Eisha's nephew.
Prior to the arrest, the IDF had gone on high alert and launched a search for the two, who had gone missing Saturday. Security forces were searching intensively for three days in the Hebron area to find the suspects.
This is the latest terror incident since December 3, when a Palestinian attacker stabbed two people in a grocery store in Mishor Adumim, east of Jerusalem, before he was shot dead.
On November 28 in Hebron, security forces arrested a 17-year-old Palestinian girl found to have a knife in her possession at the Cave of the Patriarchs. The knife was revealed during routine security checks. Police said initial investigations indicated that she had planned to stab security personnel.
By YAAKOV LAPPIN, JPOST.COM STAFF. Tovah Lazaroff contributed to this report.