The Shin Bet, in conjunction with the Israel Prison Service, has foiled a plot hatched by Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences to kidnap Israeli soldiers and use them as bargaining chips in an exchange deal. Indictments against the suspects have been filed at the Salem Military Court, the Shin Bet said on Sunday. According to investigators, the planned kidnappings were supposed to have taken place in April. The suspects allegedly began planning the kidnappings in 2012. They worked to obtain funding and weaponry, and recruited prisoners who were set to be released to carry out the kidnappings once they had left jail. Using smuggled cellphones, the imprisoned plotters sent instructions to recruits on the outside, telling them to prepare a hiding place, purchase weapons and anesthetic materials and obtain a stolen vehicle. They were also told to visit Saudi Arabia to meet with an operative who would provide them with funding. The kidnappings were to have targeted Israeli soldiers at the Huwara, Ariel and Yitzhar junctions in Samaria.
