Israel has captured a Palestinian policeman who they suspect of being a central figure in the mob killings of two Israeli soldiers last autumn.
The October killings of the two reservists by a frenzied Palestinian crowd in the West Bank town of Ramallah outraged Israel and the government promised to track down the killers.
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's office announced that Mr Khalil Shawma, a 28-year-old Palestinian policeman, was arrested last week after "an extensive intelligence operation." According to a statement released by Mr Sharon's office today, Mr Shwama is suspected of taking the two reservists to Ramallah's police station after they made a wrong turn into the Palestinian-controlled town and were stopped.
The policeman is also suspected of being responsible for opening the door to the office in the police station where the two were being held, and letting in the crowd which then brutally beat and stabbed the two Israelis to death.
He is also believed to have taken part in the killings and may have taken a leading role in the attack, the statement said.
"The lengthy operation shows how determined security officials are to track down all those who participated," the statement said.
Mr Shwama worked in a Palestinian-controlled area, where Israeli security forces are prohibited from going under agreements. The statement did not say where he was arrested, or if Israeli forces entered Palestinian areas to apprehend him.
AP