Israel arrests fugitives who escaped prison

JERUSALEM >> Israeli police on Saturday said they have arrested four of the six Palestinians who broke out of a maximum-security prison this week — including a famed militant leader whose exploits over the years have made him a wellknown figure in Israel.

Late on Saturday, the four re-captured prisoners appeared separately in court where prosecutors are pushing terrorist attack charges against them following their escape.

The arrests moved Israel closer to closing an embarrassing episode that exposed deep flaws in its prison system and turned the fugitive prisoners into Palestinian heroes.

Late on Friday, Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip fired a rocket into Israel in an apparent sign of solidarity, drawing Israeli airstrikes in reprisal.

The four wanted men were caught in a pair of separate arrests in northern Israel. According to Israeli media reports, local residents in both towns had turned in the prisoners.