Two terrorists from East Jerusalem and Nablus were arrested on suspicion of contacting Hamas in Gaza, in an attempt to obtain funding for a terrorist attack they intended to carry out.
At the beginning of the month, an investigation began in the Shin Bet and the central unit of the Jerusalem District Police, on suspicion of contact with a foreign agent and conspiracy to commit a terrorist act.
At the direction of the Shin Bet, about three weeks ago, detectives from the Jerusalem District Police Headquarters and fighters from the Border Police's undercover unit arrested a terrorist - a 17-year-old Israeli resident - living in the Shuafat refugee camp. At the same time, with the assistance of IDF forces, a relative of his - a 29-year-old Palestinian resident of Nablus - was arrested in Judea and Samaria.
Want more news, videos and stories? Join the Haredim 10 WhatsApp channel >>
The suspects were interrogated, and their detention was extended by the court from time to time.
The investigation by the Jerusalem District Central Unit and the Shin Bet reveals that the two terrorists initiated contact last year, before the war began, with a Hamas terrorist in Gaza.
According to the suspicion, the 17-year-old terrorist wanted to produce explosives with the aim of carrying out a terrorist attack in the form of a bomb, searched the Internet on how to prepare a bomb and, to that end, had conversations on Telegram with the Hamas terrorist from Gaza about it.
The terrorist from Shuafat also shared his plan with his Palestinian cousin, asking him to negotiate with the Hamas terrorist from Gaza with whom he had made contact, while identifying himself as an organized terrorist cell that wanted to carry out attacks against Israelis.
The investigation at the Jerusalem Police Headquarters and the Shin Bet reveals that the Palestinian terrorist complied with the boy's request and accepted his offer, took on the responsibility of negotiating with the hostile elements in Gaza, and together with the suspect, they attempted to organize weapons and financial funding for the purpose of carrying out a shooting and explosives attack against Israeli targets.
After the outbreak of the war, their connection with the Hamas terrorist in Gaza was severed.
With the completion of the investigation by the Shin Bet and the Jerusalem Police Headquarters, an evidentiary infrastructure was formed against the two terrorists and a prosecutor's statement was filed against them at the beginning of the week. Their detention was extended until today for the purpose of filing an indictment by the Jerusalem District Attorney's Office.
In the past two months, indictments were filed, following an investigation by the Jerusalem District Police and the Shin Bet, against two terrorist cell groups supporting ISIS, residents of East Jerusalem, who also planned and intended to carry out terrorist attacks using explosives.
In the past year, the police, with the assistance of the Shin Bet, thwarted dozens of terrorist attacks and attempted terrorist attacks in the Jerusalem area, in a variety of formats, both thanks to activity in the intelligence and investigative fields and thanks to the alertness, professionalism, and rapid response of the Jerusalem District police and Border Guard soldiers operating in the various sectors.
