The two terrorists who carried out the deadly attack in Elad on Thursday were apprehended on Sunday morning, following a four-day manhunt.
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According to available details, Sabhi Shajir and As'ad Alrafa'ani, from the Romana village near the West Bank city of Jenin, were arrested in a wooded area between Elad and nearby Rosh Ha'ayin, in central Israel.
Security forces launched a wide-scale manhunt for the two following the attack. It was eventually a military special forces unit that closed in on their location based on physical evidence on the ground, Channel 12 News reported, adding the two were found "exhausted" only a few miles from where they had carried out the attack.
Using an axe and a firearm, Shajir and Alrafa'ani killed Oren Ben Yiftah, 35, Yonatan Havakuk, 44, and Boaz Gol, 49, who were out celebrating Independence Day in a park in the heart of the ultra-Orthodox city. Three other Israelis were seriously wounded in the attack, and as of Sunday morning were said to be in stable condition.
A statement by the police, IDF, and Israel Security Agency said, "The two terrorists who carried out the May 5 attack in Elad were arrested in a joint operation, during a canvass of an area near Elad. The operation used technological and intelligence-gathering means and included police special units, IDF commandos, and Shin Bet agents, who were assisted by field analysis experts and Israel Police helicopters."
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett lauded security forces on the successful operation: "We pledged to get our hands on the terrorist and we did," he said at the beginning of the weekly cabinet meeting. "This morning, our forces – the Israel Police, Shin Bet, and IDF Maglan, Egoz and Merol forces – arrested these incitement-driven killers, who committed cold-blooded murder. I congratulate the Shin Bet, police, IDF and the troops on the ground for this operation."
Simply apprehending the terrorists is not enough. We are at a new phase in the war on terror – you can't just throw a match and run. The Israeli government's top priority is to restore Israelis' sense of personal safety, he said.
Defense Minister Benny Gantz tweeted, "We got our hands on the heinous terrorists who carried out the attack in Elad. We will also reach everyone who might have helped them.
"I wish to thank security forces. The IDF, the police, and the Shin Bet will continue to work together to ensure the Israeli public's safety. I once again wish to send my condolences to the families of the victims and wish the wounded a speedy recovery."
Public Security Minister Omer Barlev commended security forces on the operation.
"I thank security forces for apprehending the two terrorists who committed the murder in Elad. Over the last two days, the best forces in the police, the Shin Bet, and the IDF worked together to get their hands on these terrorists. This was an intense operation in a complex area, and the troops are worthy of every praise. We will continue to determinedly pursue anyone who seeks to harm us, anywhere and at any time, and we will find them."
Police Commissioner Yaakov Shabtai praised security forces as well. "The manhunt for the terrorists is over. Our intense efforts in the immediate aftermath of the attack, deploying hundreds of troops, forced them to hide in one spot, and that is what lead us to find them.
"We said we would not rest until they were apprehended," he continued. "Every terrorist must know that Israel's reach is far and wide and we get our hands on anyone who harms any Israeli. We are determined to continue and fight terrorism."
The investigation into the May 5 attack has so far concluded that the terrorists contacted Ben Yiftah ahead of Independence Day and asked him to drive them to Elad under the pretext that they were construction workers in a local synagogue undergoing renovations. He agreed, only to become their first victim once they arrived in the city.
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