Israeli police: 16-year-olds tried to blow up Jerusalem light rail

The police today (Thursday) revealed that a recent investigation was conducted against Arab teenagers suspected of placing an improvised explosive device under the light rail in northern Jerusalem.

Following the investigation, police detained a group of suspects aged 15 and 16 from East Jerusalem. The investigation revealed that the four, some of whom banded together, trained and assembled an explosive device (improvised pipe bomb) and recorded the act.

They threw rocks and a bomb at the train

In recent months, one of the terrorists threw a pipe bomb at the light rail and some of the others threw rocks at the train before fleeing the scene. Police officers who were called to the scene following a report of stone throwing and fireworks shooting, revealed that it was in fact an improvised pipe bomb that exploded after being thrown at the train.

The investigators of the Jerusalem Police Department revealed another case in which one of the suspects placed an improvised pipe bomb under the train when it arrived at the platform, but the bomb did not explode. The suspect fled the scene. In both cases, there were no casualties among the train passengers and bystanders, and minor damage was caused to the train.

The investigation also revealed that some of the suspects were also involved in several cases of rock throwing at security forces in recent months. The suspects were interrogated by police and their detention was prolonged in court on several occasions.

Evidence collected against the four terrorists and a prosecutor's statement submitted against them

As a result, it is likely that the prosecutor's office will file charges tomorrow. The police said: "The Israeli Police will continue to fight terrorism and act with determination to thwart attacks by adults or minors trying to harm the safety and security of Israeli citizens."