Soldiers search a Palestinian car at a West Bank roadblock. (Flash 90)

JERUSALEM (JWN and agencies)—Alert soldiers arrested two Palestinian men transporting 10 pipe bombs, a homemade pistol, and ammunition at a checkpoint near the West Bank city of Jenin on Monday.

The two suspects, both aged 20, were caught trying to smuggle the bombs and weapon past the Salem checkpoint. Last week four Palestinians were also arrested at the same checkpoint after they caught carrying bombs.

Security officials said the arms in both cases were to be used in an attack on a nearby military court.

The two arrested yesterday had the bad luck of arriving at the checkpoint carrying two bags, which immediately aroused the suspicions of one of the soldiers manning the post who had witnessed the previous incident.

“It was basically the same as last week,” the soldier said. “They came to the fence and I was about three meters away. We have been on heightened alert, and we understood that they could be suspicious because of the bags.”