Israeli forces capture terrorists that killed security guard who died while shielding his fiancée from bullets

PM Bennett promises to “settle accounts with every terrorist”

Israeli security forces captured two Palestinians on Saturday in connection with the deadly terror attack Friday night in which a security guard was shot and killed while shielding his fiancée.

The perpetrators pulled up to a security post at the entrance of the West Bank city of Ariel, where 23-year-old Vyacheslav Golev was stationed as a guard along with his fiancée, Victoria Fligelman. As the car stopped, the occupants opened fire on Golev while he tried to protect Fligelman from the hail of bullets. Thanks to Golev, Fligelman was not wounded at the attack.

The Israeli Security Agency (ISA), the IDF and the Israel National Counter-Terrorism Unit worked together to apprehend the two main suspects after a 20-hour long manhunt.

“The security forces will continue to take action to deal with those involved in – and who aid and abet – terrorism to the fullest extent of the law,” the ISA said in a statement.

Security camera footage from the scene of the attack circulating on social media over the weekend show the vehicle pulling up to the guard post and shooting the guard down with an improvised Carl Gustav submachine gun. Afterwards, the two exited their vehicle and kept shooting before returning to the car and fleeing the scene.

“There is no terrorist whom we will not reach and settle accounts with. Our war with terrorism is lengthy. Together we will win,” Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said afterwards in a statement.

“I would like to convey my condolences to the family of the security guard who was murdered as he protected his colleague from the terrorists with his body last night in Ariel,” he added.

Golev was a former student at Ariel University. He came from an Orthodox Jewish family who immigrated from Russia about a decade ago, Israeli media reported. Golev is survived by his parents and seven siblings who live in Beit Shemesh.

He had recently moved to Ariel with Fligelman. They were engaged just a few weeks before the attack and posted pictures of themselves together just 16 hours before the deadly incident.

Yahya Marai, 19, and Yosef Assi, 20, were arrested in the nearby town of Qarawat Bani Hassan. An initial counterterrorism investigation indicated that two suspects are not affiliated with Hamas and were not sent by another terrorist group.

Tal Heinrich