Settler Welds Himself to the Floor to Evade Security Forces

An extremist Jewish settler wanted by the Israeli security forces devised a two-layer shield to thwart his arrest - a home-made mechanical contraption attached to his leg and the residents of the West Bank settlement of Yitzhar.

Neria Zarug, a married father of two, lives and works as a goatherder in the outpost of Komi Ori, immediately beside Yitzhar, that is as of now a closed military zone.

According to defense officials, "Zarug is a dangerous, violent and extreme activist, who is well known to security forces in the area. He was banned from entering the region because of recent  violent acts against both Palestinians and the security forces."

An administrative detention order was filed against Zarug and signed by GOC Central Command Maj. Gen. Nadav Padan, which would have removed the settler from his household for three months.

Zarug refused to abide by the order issued two months ago, staying in Yitzhar and urging Padan to revoke his removal order.

Various attempts were made over the last few days to apprehend Zarug, who is residing in several homes in Yitzhar, but to no avail.

Although he has managed to evade law enforcement so far, his friends and relatives realized the clock was ticking for his freedom and decided to make a public showing in order to draw attention to his situation.

On Sunday afternoon, SWAT teams arrived at the house where Zarug was welded to the floor. After realizing they could not free him from the device themselves, a team of firefighters was called to the scene.