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Israeli Arab medical student held as Hezbollah spy
An Israeli Arab was indicted on Wednesday on charges of joining Hezbollah while he studied medicine in Germany and agreeing to spy on the Jewish state for the Lebanese guerrilla group.The Shin Bet counter-espionage agency said Khaled Kashkush, 29, was arrested when he flew in to Israel last month and confessed, under interrogation, to having received 13,000 euros ($20,150) from a Hezbollah recruiter he met in Frankfurt. Kashkush agreed to serve Hezbollah by collecting names of other Israeli Arabs who might enlist in the group and seeking work at an Israeli hospital where he could spy on military personnel, the Shin Bet said. It was not clear how Kashkush would plead to the espionage charges against him, which carry lengthy prison sentences. After the indictment was filed at Petah Tikva District Court, Kashkush's lawyer, Amnon Zichroni, described it as "very minor". "It does not say that he did any damage to national security," Zichroni told reporters, adding that he would examine the charges before offering further comment. In an unusual move, the Shin Bet published the names and pictures of the alleged recruiter and of a Lebanese-born German who it said served as a Hezbollah liaison. The latter man worked as a fund-raiser for a Hezbollah charity, the Shin Bet said. Israel fought an inconclusive 34-day war with Hezbollah in 2006 and says the Iranian-backed group is trying to set up cells among Arabs who make up 20 percent of the Israeli population. Posted by: Fred 2008-08-07 |
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