First arrest made nearly week after Jewish extremists attack Palestinians, journalists

Five days after the violence in the Palestinian village of Qusra, police on Thursday arrested the first suspect in the attack after he allegedly fled and hid at a construction site in the West Bank settlement of Eli. The 19-year-old settler was detained in a joint operation by Israel Police and the Shin Bet and taken for questioning. Police are expected to ask a court to extend his detention. The arrest came after dozens of Jewish extremists entered Qusra on Saturday and began throwing stones at Palestinians and other civilians, prompting the IDF and Border Police to deploy to the village. According to police, dozens of settlers barricaded themselves inside a Palestinian home while Palestinian residents were still inside. Foreign journalists were also attacked during the incident. The attackers threw stones at them and smashed the windows of their vehicle before continuing toward the nearby Palestinian village of Jalud. Despite the scale of the violence and footage from the area showing dozens of people at the scene, no arrests were made for five days. Police said Thursday that the suspect was located at a construction site in Eli and arrested by officers from the Judea and Samaria District and the Samaria riot-control unit, working with the Shin Bet. Investigators are continuing to collect evidence and testimony in an effort to identify and arrest others suspected of taking part in the attack.