Israeli Police find home made Palestinian armored vehicle

Last update - 21:07 24/03/2009       
Police uncover makeshift Palestinian armored vehicle
By Jonathan Lis, Haaretz Correspondent
 

Police discovered a makeshift armored vehicle and a weapons cache in the Hebron area Monday night during a search for stolen vehicles.

 

Officers from the Etgar police unit, which combats car theft, and the Lahav unit, which fights organized crime, uncovered the cache, which included a sniper rifle.

 

Police conducted the search of the village of Yata based on intelligence information they had received.
 

During the course of the operation, police found a large container on which heavy stones had been placed. The stones were removed with the help of a tractor and an armored Isuzu van was discovered inside the container.

 

Steel planks, measuring five centimeters (two inches) in thickness had been welded to the vehicle and small slits had been cut in the planks to allow a weapon to be fired from within the vehicle.

 

In addition to the armored vehicle, police found a 7.62 caliber sniper rifle as well as hundreds of 7.62 caliber bullets, two boxes of 5.56 caliber ammunition and a telescopic scope.