Six Israeli Arabs, the majority residents of east Jerusalem, suspected of planning to set up an Al Qaida cell in Israel, and plotted to kill US President George W. Bush,were arrested by security forces in June and July this year.
Details released by the Shin Bet on Friday said some of the cell members are students at Jerusalem's Hebrew University and the six members belonged to a closed religious sect who plotted and planned to set up an Al Qaida cell in Israel.
Shin Bet and special Israel Police units were involved in the arrest operation.
The suspects were identified as,Ibrahim Nashaf, 22 of Taibe a phsyics student at Hebrew University, Mohammed Najem, 24 of Nazareth studied chemistry at Hebrew University, Yusef Samarin ,21, a resident of Beit Hanina in east Jerusalem, Anes Shweike, 21 a resident of Jabel Mukaber and Kamal Abu Kweidar,22 a resident of Jerusalem’s Old City.
Details gleaned from their interrogations revealed that the group conducted frequent meetings in the Al Aksa mosque and plotted to establish an Al Qaida cell in Israel based on Osama bin Laden's doctrine.
The group based its ideology on information compiled from extreme Islamic wesbites found on the internet. Searching the suspects’ homes, security forces discovered that some had downloaded step by step explanations and detailed instructions on how to compile bombs and explosive belts, from the internet.
The cell members planned to recruit others to the cause and plan attacks inside Israel.
Mohammed Najem a chemistry student lived in the Hebrew University dormitories on Mount Scopus and from his room had a view of the helicopter pad located in the university’s stadium.
Najem using the camera on his mobile phone took footage of helicopters taking off and landing at the pad, and then linked up on extreme Al Qaida websites chat forums where he sought advice on how to shoot down President George W. Bush’s helicopter during the President’s visit to Israel.
Security officials said the arrest of the six are just part of a rising trend identified by the defense establishment where a growing number of Arabs with Israeli citizenship identify with extreme Islamic groups who devote their time to plotting attacks and planning hostile activities inside Israel.The six were indicted in Jerusalem’s District Court on Friday on a number of charges including membership in a terror organization, Najim will also be charged with assisting the enemy, possession of terror propaganda a charge against four cell members aside from Kweida and Shweike.07/18/08
Margot Dudkevitch
Infolive.tv
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