(Communicated by Israeli security sources)

During an IDF, ISA and special police force operation in Beit- Sahur, which took place today near Bethlehem, senior Islamic Jihad terrorist, Bassam Abdel Rahman Ahmad Abu Aker, was arrested.

Abu Aker a 42-year old resident of Bethlehem, has been wanted since 1999, and is one of the heads of the Islamic Jihad organization in the region of Bethlehem. Abu Aker was also in contact with the organization headquarters in Syria.
 
Abu Aker was the chairman of the 'Alahsan' association which supports the activities of Islamic Jihad and also responsible for the activity of the Islamic Jihad terrorist cells which were operating since September 2000.

Terrorist activities in which Abu Aker was involved:

• Guiding of terror operatives to carry out shooting attacks on the Har Gilo neighborhood in Jerusalem.
• Recruiting young Palestinians to the Islamic Jihad organization.
• Dispatching several young Palestinians to carry out attacks against IDF forces in the Bethlehem region.
• Responsible for the car-bomb attack in the Talpiyot neighborhood in Jerusalem, which was carried out on March, 27, 2001, in which five Israeli citizens were injured.
• Responsible for the dispatching of a suicide bomber, who carried out the attack in the French Hill neighborhood in Jerusalem on March, 17, 2002. The suicide bomber exploded himself while trying to get on a bus, injuring several Israeli civilians.