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His Victims |
The ISIS-aligned terrorist behind a pair of deadly bombings in Jerusalem last month studied in an Israeli college and was employed by an Israeli factory at the time of the attacks.
Eslam Froukh, the 26-year-old suspect arrested on November 29th in connection with a pair of bombings at Jerusalem bus stops six days earlier, is a graduate of the Azrieli College of Engineering in Jerusalem, where he earned a B.Sc. in mechanical engineering.
A resident of the Arab village of Kafr Aqab, which lies inside of Jerusalem’s municipal boundaries, Froukh has permanent residency status and carries an Israeli identification card, though he has also resided in the Palestinian Authority-administered city of Ramallah, the Shin Bet said Tuesday morning.
Azrieli College distanced itself from Froukh in a statement to students Tuesday, and condemned last month’s attack.
“Unfortunately, one of the suspects is an alumnus of the college, who completed his studies in the mechanical engineering department a few years ago. The college strongly condemns and rejects any action or verbal violence, or behavior that is against the law, and supports security forces for their quick detection of those responsible for the attack.”
Earlier on Tuesday, Israel’s security censors cleared Froukh’s arrest for publication.
The Shin Ben internal security agency said Tuesday that Froukh is a Salafist radical and supporter of the ISIS terror organization.
Froukh is believed to have acted alone, building the bombs used in last month’s attack based on video instructions found on the internet.
Authorities apprehended Froukh at the factory in Mishor Adumim where he is currently employed.
Aryeh Schupak, a 15-year-old Canadian yeshiva student, and Tadessa Tshuma, a father of six from Pisgat Ze’ev, were both killed in the Givat Shaul bombing. More than a dozen others were injured in the attacks.