Israeli media is reporting on the arrest of two Arab-Israelis described as members of a large Hamas terror cell plotting to kill Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. According to the report:
January 8, 2016 Two Arab-Israeli members of a large Hamas terror cell who were arrested last month have been indicted for plotting to kill Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, The Times of Israel reported Friday.
According to the indictment, Hazem Ziad Amran Sandouqa, a 22-year-old resident of Jerusalem’s Old City, and Fahdi Daoud Muhammad Abu Qaian, a 19-year-old Bedouin Israeli from the Negev, planned, along with Hamas activist Ahmad Jamal Mousa Azzam, 24, to plant explosives in the Jerusalem Payis Arena at a time when Netanyahu would be scheduled to speak at the site…
The indictment said the three planned to place the device beneath the stage at the multi-purpose sports arena in Malha on a future occasion at which Netanyahu was to appear, but never set a final date for the operation.
Authorities say Azzam rented an apartment in the Abu Dis neighborhood of Jerusalem and purchased explosive materials by himself and with the help of Sandouqa.
Most of the operatives in the Hamas cell were students at al-Quds University. According to Shin Bet, Israel’s internal security organization, the cell was controlled by Hamas leadership in the Gaza Strip.
The indictment added that Hamas operatives had recruited Azzam to create a terror cell and taught him to build explosive belts and vests, as well as improvised explosive devices. Abu Qaian, identified as a supporter of ISIS, was also accused of smuggling weapons into Israel and the West Bank with the goal of targeting civilians. Abu Qaian told investigators that he had agreed to carry out a suicide attack by either wearing an explosive vest or driving a car filled with explosives.
Last month, reports surfaced that Hamas planned to escalate the current terror campaign against Israel with suicide bombings. Days earlier, The Jerusalem Post reported that some members of Fatah, the party of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, were also considering a return to suicide bombings.
Read the rest here.
The Hamas charter says that it is “one of the wings of the Muslim Brothers in Palestine.
For more on Hamas, go here.