Israel makes arrests in connection with Tel Aviv bus bombing
A suspect in the Tel Aviv bus bombing Wednesday was arrested by Israeli police who said the man had admitted to the crime.
Israeli authorities have arrested an Arab Israeli man Thursday in connection with the bus bombing in Tel Aviv that occurred on Wednesday, along with other suspects.
Police said the man was from the majority Arab town Tayibe in central Israel and had connections to Hamas and Islamic Jihad.
The other suspects were rounded up just hours after the bombing in the West Bank town of Beit Lakiya.
It is believed that the man, originally from Beit Lakiya, was recruited by a terrorist cell in the area to carry out the act, reported the New York Times.
The man became an Israeli citizen through a family reunification program.
Ynet News reported that Shin Bet, Israel's internal security service, claims the man drove to the bus stop where he'd enter the bus using his employer's car.
The man apparently admitted to planting the bomb on the bus before running off, setting off a massive manhunt in Israel's largest city.
The bomb was then detonated by a cell phone trigger from the West Bank town.
The bus bombing wounded about 27 people and threatened to derail a fragile cease-fire, which has taken effect in the last day, said CNN.
Violence emanating from the West Bank has become extremely rare since the last intifada and the construction of the wall separating the territory from Israel.
The New York Times said that the attack is bound to raise concerns in Israel, which announced Thursday it had already arrested 55 "terror operatives" in the West Bank.