Police clarify AFP photographer had no suspected advance knowledge of West Bank terror attack

Israel Police officials clarified on Friday that there was no suspicion that a Palestinian photographer working with the French news agency AFP had advance knowledge of a shooting attack near Hebron earlier in the day, Walla learned, following reports that the photographer had prior information about the incident.

The clarification came after professional photographs of the terrorists at the scene were published, reportedly taken by the photographer in real time, according to foreign media reports.Meanwhile, the IDF told Walla in response that "The entire incident is under investigation."Following a situational assessment led by Judea and Samaria District Police Commander Maj.-Gen. Moshe Pinchi, the investigation into the attack was assigned to the district's Minorities Division, part of its Central Investigations Unit.

Police will also assist the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) in investigating the incident.During the assessment, attended by the commander of the Hebron area police and senior district officers, officials presented preliminary findings from the scene and reviewed the actions taken by police officers who assisted IDF troops.Police to increase enforcement against vehicles used in terrorismPinchi instructed investigators to place particular emphasis on the use of a vehicle that had been taken off the road and was used in the attack.

Known in Hebrew as a mashtuba, the vehicle was no longer legally permitted to operate on public roads.He stressed the need to combat the use of such vehicles for terrorism and criminal activity throughout the West Bank.Following the attack, district police will step up operations along major roads, including inspections of vehicles and suspects and the seizure of vehicles that have been taken off the road. Operational cooperation with IDF troops in the area will also be increased.Police also addressed the timing of a statement distributed to the media earlier in the day and expressed regret over its release.

The statement said that even when an investigation is conducted professionally and independently, authorities must exercise judgment, demonstrate sensitivity to developments on the ground, and understand the public implications of when information is released.Two terrorists killed following shooting attack near HebronA shooting attack took place on Friday morning near the Yehuda Junction, close to Hebron. Following a manhunt, IDF troops killed two terrorists involved in the shooting.Five people were wounded in the attack, including two who were reported to be in critical condition.

The terrorists arrived at a scrapyard in the area in a vehicle bearing Israeli license plates and observed the soldiers before carrying out the attack.

According to the IDF's preliminary investigation, the attackers were two terrorists from Hebron who arrived carrying a large quantity of ammunition, an M4 rifle, and a handgun.They reached the area of the Yehuda Junction, where an IDF squad-level outpost belonging to the Ari Battalion had been established two months earlier.

The deployment was the soldiers' first operational assignment.Following a situational assessment, the soldiers set out to establish a checkpoint and prevent terrorists from accessing Routes 35 or 60 to carry out an attack. Similar precautions were taken at other junctions in the area.