Zidan - Was he an informant?
Photo: Ministry of Defense
Hassin – High grades?
Photo: Ministry of Defense
Romania’s terror branch
Ynet sheds more light on school environment of Arab-Israelis recruited by Hamas
Was an Arab-Israeli dentist detained on suspicion of cooperating with Hamas a member of the Muslim Brotherhood in Romania, and also an informant working on behalf of Romanian security authorities?
Ynet, in cooperation with popular Romanian daily Evenimentul Zilei, has launched an investigation in an attempt to elicit additional information on the two Arab-Israeli dentists arrested on charges of Hamas activity as well as their school environment in Romania.
Terror Threat
Ynet reporters
Galilee residents suspected of being recruited to Hamas while studying dentistry in Romania; Haifa District Prosecutor’s Office plans to indict suspects on charges of aiding enemy at time of war, contacts with foreign agent
The affair has caused a great stir in the eastern European country, where the two suspects studied dentistry, and has prompted local journalists to launch independent inquires in a bid to shed more light on the affair, while closely following developments in Israel.
Romanian reporters have found that the two dentists were excellent students and boasted particularly high grades. One suspect, Nazmi Hassin, finished his studied in 1994 with a 9.42 (out of 10) grade point average. The second suspect, Abdel Salam Zidan, finished his studies in 1993 with a 9 grade point average.
On a more menacing note, a Romanian intelligence officer contacted by reporters said “our unit’s database includes the name of an informant named Zidan, who helped us gather information about meetings held by Arab students at various parts of town.”
“During summer they would meet often in the woods,” the source said. “There was a place there where they held religious ceremonies. Some of them were members of the Muslim Brotherhood and we followed them because this group is considered a terror organization. I’m not sure whether that Zidan is the same person who was now arrested by Israeli security authorities.”
Are radical cells active in Romania?
According to information elicited by the Romanian newspaper, during winter Muslim students would gather at a building in the school’s dorms and apparently turned the place into a mosque. A veteran counter-terrorism officer said two imams would run the religious ceremonies and confirmed that many of the participants were either backers or members of the Muslim Brotherhood.
College dorms (Photo: Evenimentul Zilei)
Authorities have said in the past several foreign radical cells were active in the country, including some belonging to Hamas, Hizbullah, and the Muslim Brotherhood.
However, Romanian security authorities refused to provide any further details on the matter, claiming that the interrogation of the two suspects in Israel remains classified and its findings have not been shared yet.
“Any reaction we issue could be interpreted as intervention in a judicial procedure taking place in Israel,” authorities said.
‘Ideal breeding ground for terror’
However, the latest affair is only one example of terror connections discovered in Romania. Earlier this month, it was revealed that authorities in Romania deported five students, led by a Saudi national, accused of having ties to al-Qaeda, with intelligence officials saying the suspected terror cell was attempting to recruit and “brainwash” Muslims in the country.
The suspects, who were under surveillance prior to their deportation, were banned from entering Romania for 15 years, one official said.
Last year, Romania’s public prosecutor stunned the country by announcing that “Arab sympathizer groups” established in the country are providing cash to help finance terrorist activities in the West, the Sunday Herald reported in October 2004.
“We are conducting an investigation into an important source of finance for certain terrorist networks abroad,” the official said.
Romania has stepped up its efforts to counter extremists following the September 11 attacks and later ratified the international convention on halting the financing of radical groups. "However, due to widespread poverty and political instability, the country remains an ideal breeding ground for terrorism, "military analyst Radu Tudor told the Institute for War and Peace Reporting (IWPR) back in 2002.
Yigal Walt contributed to the report
