Israeli Police Raid Jewish Seminaries

Israeli police Friday raided two Jewish seminaries in Jerusalem’s Old City in a search for arms and sabotage materials prompted by a spate of attacks against Arab homes in the area.

Police sources said that one man was arrested during the raids but that no arms were found. Some files were seized.

The decision to make the searches came after the arrest Thursday of a student from one of the seminaries. In his car, police found materials often used in firebomb attacks.

Earlier this week, the home of one Jerusalem Arab and the car of another were booby-trapped with hand grenades of Israeli army issue. Police defused the devices.

There have been a number of attacks against Arab homes in the Old City since seminary student Eliahu Amedi was stabbed to death in the area last month. Three young Palestinians were captured quickly, and police said they confessed to belonging to an Arab guerrilla band. Students at Amedi’s school swore vengeance, and police say the threats are taken seriously.