Israeli troops arrest Palestinian teen suicide bomber

Israeli troops on Friday caught a Palestinian teenager who had strapped explosives to his body, the army said. The boy was spotted at an army checkpoint and raised suspicions because he was wearing a heavy jacket on an unseasonably warm day, the army said. Soldiers stopped the teen, and discovered two metal cans filled with explosives and shrapnel taped to his body. The teenager was arrested, and the cans were destroyed by an army bomb squad, the army said.

Earlier this week, a Palestinian suicide bomber from the nearby town of Tulkarem killed five Israelis outside a shopping mall in central Israel.

It was not immediately clear whether the teen was connected to any of the militant groups that have carried out suicide bombings. The groups have increasingly turned to teenagers to carry out attacks because they are likely to raise less suspicion when crossing through Israeli checkpoints, reports the AP. I.L.