A pair of military boots spotted on a Palestinian man in the Jordan Valley set off a chain of events that ended with the discovery of a classified Israeli military map of the Gaza border region, along with weapons and other military equipment, police said.
The find came during a search of the man's home on Thursday, part of a joint operation by officers from the Jordan Valley Police Station and Border Police troops operating in the West Bank, near the Palestinian village of Al-Jiftlik.
During the operation, security forces noticed a man walking through the area wearing military boots and stopped him for questioning. Asked where the boots came from, the man said they belonged to his son.
As the questioning continued, however, the man also told officers that he kept additional military equipment at his home. That statement raised the suspicions of the officers and prompted them to take the matter further.
Acting on his statements, police and Border Police officers searched the suspect's residence. Inside, they found an airsoft pistol, knives and several additional pieces of military equipment.
The most significant item recovered, according to police, was a military map of the communities along the Gaza border. The map carried a classified security classification.
The suspect, a Palestinian man in his 20s, was arrested and taken to the Jordan Valley Police Station, which operates under the Israel Police's Judea and Samaria District, for questioning. He was placed in custody following his interrogation.
Police said the investigation is continuing. Detectives are working to determine how the suspect came into possession of the classified map and what the circumstances were behind his holding of the military equipment. No further details about the suspect or possible charges were released.
