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| Israel-Palestine-Jordan | |
| Shin Bet foils Hamas scheme to abduct IDF soldier | |
| 2006-05-14 | |
The Shin Bet security service yesterday revealed the arrest a month ago of two Hamas operatives who were planning to set up a terrorist cell in the West Bank to abduct an Israel Defense Forces soldier. The arrested men are Rizat Shaaban, 33, and Jumaa Azzam, 38, both from the Jabalya refugee camp in the Gaza Strip. They infiltrated into Israel through Sinai and were detained by the security forces on April 14 at Mount Harif in the southern Negev. The operatives were carrying two pistols, two hand grenades and $2,300 in cash. They told interrogators that they had met with senior Hamas people, including the head of Hamas's operational arm in the northern Gaza Strip, Ahmed Randor, who instructed them to set up the cell.
Shin Bet sources said that the cell's mission was to abduct a soldier to serve as a bargaining chip in negotiations over the release of Palestinians imprisoned in Israel. The cell members were told to rent an apartment in Ramallah to serve as a hideout. According to the Shin Bet, Hamas operatives are continuing to organize cells for the purpose of preparing "ready-to-go attacks," which the organization could put into action quickly in case of renewed escalation in the conflict with Israel. During the eight months since the disengagement ended, security forces have captured several cells sponsored by Hamas and the Popular Resistance Committees that had infiltrated into Israel from the Gaza Strip via Sinai. In at least one case, a would-be suicide bomber wearing an explosives belt was arrested near the border. | |
| Posted by:Steve White |