Yaniv Sardal, a 53-year-old resident of Ariel, was found alive and safe Thursday following an extensive search after he was reported missing. Sardal had been missing since 6 p.m. Wednesday, when he entered an Arab village of his own accord.

Israeli broadcaster Channel 14 identified Sardal as the brother of Eliya Aviv, a former senior police officer who served as the commander of the Zevulun and Hadera stations.

While the authorities said this was not a terror incident, they did not fully rule out a security incident and launched a full-scale, hours-long search that involved interagency intelligence efforts, special forces including the Israel Prison Service’s Masada unit, and a police helicopter, with the ultimate goal of finding the missing man “while ensuring his safety and security,” according to a joint statement by the agencies involved in the search.

A joint interagency command center was set up that included the Israel Police, Shin Bet, Israel Prison Service (including the Israel Prison Service’s elite Metzada Unit), and IDF. Along with manual searches on the ground, the interagency effort also employed technological capabilities and intelligence-gathering, as well as the deployment of a helicopter from the Israel Police Aerial Division.

After hours of extensive searches, the IDF and Israel Security Agency said in a joint statement on Thursday that Samaria resident had been found alive and well.