Ashraf Kaissi in court
צילום: ירון ברנר
Arab Israeli convicted of murder for role in bombing attack
Tel Aviv court convicts Ashraf Kaissi of five counts of murder for driving Palestinian suicide bomber to The Stage nightclub in 2005
An Arab Israeli man was convicted on Thursday of five counts of murder by a Tel Aviv court for his role in the 2005 suicide bombing attack at the Stage nightclub in the city.
Ashraf Kaissi was found guilty of driving suicide bomber Abdullah Badran to the nightclub knowing that he intended to carry out a terror attack.
Badran blew himself up at the club killing five Israelis and wounding 50 others.
The court also convicted Kaissi of contacting a foreign agent and possessing illegal arms.
Kaissi, 27, was born and raised in Hadera until the age of 14 when his family moved to Baka al-Gharbiya. He was arrested a day after the suicide bombing which took place on the night of February 25, 2005.
During the trial, Kaissi admitted he was in contact with Islamic Jihad terrorists in Jenin. The terrorists asked for assistance in infiltrating a suicide bomber into Israel. Kaissi agreed to cooperate and went as far as choosing the attack's location on behalf of his handlers.
The Islamic Jihad cell who contacted Kaissi promised to pay him $14,000 if he agreed to cooperate.
After Kaissi's arrest the Israeli air force destroyed a house in Jenin used by the cell which was also linked to two other bombing in 2005.
