(Communicated by Israeli security sources)

The Islamic Jihad terrorist infrastructure in the area of Jenin is the central infrastructure of the Islamic Jihad and a focal point of terrorism in the northern West Bank. This infrastructure is responsible for numerous terrorist attacks, including the suicide bombing attack in the Maxim Restaurant in Haifa in October 4, 2003, in which 21 Israeli civilians were murdered.

Since that attack, the Israeli security forces have been intensively and continuously operating against this infrastructure and its operatives, impairing its dispatch effective terrorist attacks. Nevertheless, this terrorist infrastructure, backed by its head quarters abroad, is making major efforts in order to rehabilitate the terrorist cells operating under its command and enable them to terrorize civilian centers in Israel as in the past.

During an arrest activity in Jenin, based on pinpointed intelligence information, forces deployed in the area in order to spot two suspected vehicles in which wanted Islamic Jihad operatives were traveling. During the arrest activity, one of the vehicles attempted to escape. The force carried out an arrest procedure at the end of which fire was opened at the vehicle in order to stop it. The fire killed Naaman Taher Tzadek Tahina, age 33, a senior Islamic Jihad operative in Jenin. Fauzi Ahmed Mahmud Saadi, age 41, and Muhammed Farres Basher Jaradat, age 34, who along with Tahina headed the Islamic Jihad terrorist infrastructure in Jenin, were arrested during the activity.

A pistol and large amounts of money were found in the terrorists' possession.

Muhammed Farres Basher Jaradat, 34 years old from Silat-A-Hartia, an Islamic Jihad terrorist since mid '80s, spent several years in prison due to his activity in the terrorist organization. Recently he was appointed head of the Islamic Jihad in the area of Jenin, and was in direct contact with the Islamic Jihad head quarters in Syria. He directed and funded terrorists and terrorist activity in the area of Jenin. Jaradat received funds and orders to carry out terrorist activity from the Islamic Jihad head quarters in Syria.

Naaman Taher Tzadek Tahina, 33 years old from Silat-A-Hartia, an Islamic Jihad terrorist since mid '80s, one of the three top terrorists of the Islamic Jihad in the area Jenin. Tahina directed and funded terrorists and terrorist activity in the area of Jenin, was in direct contact with the Islamic Jihad head quarters in Syria and a close assistant to Jaradat.

Fauzi Ahmed Mahmud Saadi, 41 years old, one of the three top terrorists of the Islamic Jihad in the area of Jenin. Saadi directed and funded terrorists and terrorist activity in the area of Jenin, was in direct contact with the Islamic Jihad head quarters in Syria, was a main route for the transfer of large amounts of money from the Islamic Jihad head quarters in Syria to terrorists operating in the area of Jenin.