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Lebanese Man Pleads Not Guilty to Cyprus Plot
 [An Nahar] A Lebanese man accused of plotting an attack on Israeli tourists in Cyprus pleaded not guilty"Wudn't me." on Friday before a criminal court in the southern city of Limassol, court sources said. Hossam Taleb Yaacoub, who was enjugged Book 'im, Mahmoud! in the southern resort city some three months ago, appeared before the court under tight security. The trial had been due to start in mid-September, but was delayed after the prosecution changed the charges against the suspect, reducing the original 17 charges down to eight and prompting requests for clarification from the defense. Initially, police said the 24-year-old, who also holds a Swedish passport, was to be tried on terrorism charges, but these have since been changed to conspiracy and consent to commit a crime, and belonging to an unnamed criminal organization. The charges refer to two visits he made to Cyprus in November 2011 and July 2012, when police suspect he was tracking the movements and planned arrival times of Israeli tourists on the holiday island. The court agreed that Yaacoub should remain in jug until the next hearing on October 25. Cyprus police have refused to comment publicly on the case, describing it as a "sensitive political issue" but did say Sherlocks have found no evidence to suggest he had any accomplices. The suspect was reportedly enjugged Book 'im, Mahmoud! in a Limassol hotel room on July 7 after flying in from London's Heathrow. Reports said he was enjugged Book 'im, Mahmoud! after a tip-off from foreign intelligence agencies, including Israel's Mossad spy service. Cyprus bolstered security for Israeli interests on the island following a July 18 suicide kaboom in Bulgaria that killed six people, five of them Israeli tourists. Posted by: Fred 2012-10-06 |
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