PFLP cell arrested for attempted kidnappings

The Shin Bet has arrested 9 Palestinians from the Ramallah area who tried kidnapping a number of Israelis in the West Bank in March. The youths were members of a cell that was led by 22 year old Mahmad Ramdan, , and were affiliated with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. The cell members rented a car in March and traveled throughout the West Bank where they tried to kidnap a soldier without success. The cell members obtained an electrical shocker, tear gas, a lighter that looks like a gun and planned to hide the kidnapped Israeli in a cave or an apartment near Ramallah. They then planned to film the kidnapped Israeli and post the video on the Internet with a demand to release Palestinian prisoners currently in Israeli jails. In 2011, the IDF recorded around 20 attempts to kidnap soldiers in the West Bank and Israel. Senior officers have said that the increase in motivation was connected to the Gilad Schalit prisoner swap in October.