Police have in recent days captured a squad suspected of carrying out bus arsons in the northern region in the past month.
Three Tuba Zangaria residents were arrested on suspicion on the way to another arson incident.
Following their arrest, eight more suspects were arrested in connection with the arson.
Covert activity by Northern District Police officers led to the arrest of the vehicle containing the three suspects while he was driving near the Amiad junction on Friday evening.
A search of the vehicle turned up a "fire brigade commander" that included: flammable material, ready-made torches, observation and burglary tools, headlights, fake license plates, gloves and change of clothes.
Watch: The squad was captured in the north suspected of setting buses on fire // Photo: Police spokeswoman
Following the interrogation of the three, police forces raided several targets in the village of Tuba Zangaria and the city of Sakhnin on Sunday morning, arresting eight more suspects involved in arson and aiding and abetting.
Later in the day, they will also be brought in for a hearing on the police's request to extend their detention.
The three suspects in their 20s are also attributed to the arson incidents at the Safed Central Station and other arson incidents throughout the north in the past month.
Their detention has been extended in court until next Tuesday.
According to the suspicion, the three acted on behalf of a criminal organization that extorted sponsorship fees from businesses in the north under the guise of guarding activity.
Commander of the Northern District, Superintendent Shimon Lavi: "We are working with all our might and with all the tools at our disposal against the phenomenon of collecting the" protection "sponsorship, from the perpetrators in this case, to economic criminal activity against their senders - the heads of criminal organizations. The criminals "on the hot" have raised the need to make a change in legislation in order to allow us additional tools for action against the phenomenon of extortion of sponsorship fees.
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