Ron Arad. Info wanted
באדיבות הערוץ הראשון
Lebanese woman arrested over Ron Arad info
Rada al-Akili arrested on suspicion of 'conspiring with the enemy' after attempting to respond to Israeli message offering $10 million prize for information on missing navigator
Lebanon resident Rada al-Akili received an offer she couldn't refuse: A $10 million prize for reliable information on missing Israeli navigator Ron Arad. She attempted several times to call the phone number given to her in a phone call from Israel, but was arrested after the fifth attempt on suspicion of "conspiring with the Israeli enemy."
London-based Arabic-language al-Hayat newspaper reported Tuesday that the Lebanese army arrested al-Akili after she had received a call on her cell phone, informing her that Israel would grant $10 million to any person able to provide reliable information on Ron Arad's fate.
Knowledgeable sources told the newspaper that after receiving the call, al-Akili had tried to call the number given to her five times. After the fifth attempt she was arrested by the Lebanese army. The sources did not provide any additional details, and the woman's fate is unclear.
About five years ago, the "Lahofesh Nolad" ("born to be free") association launched a campaign aimed at obtaining information on the fate of the captured navigator, whose plane was shot down in 1986 over a refugee camp in southern Lebanon.
In addition to the $10 million reward, the association members promised that the information provider would also be put under a protection plan.
Shortly afterwards, following a High Court petition, it was decided that the prize would be given in exchange for information on any Israeli MIAs. Since then, many residents of Arab countries have been received phone calls on the matter, and leaflets carrying the missing navigator's picture have been distributed in Lebanon.
Last June, the Lebanese army warned the country's residents not to respond to phone calls asking them for information on missing Israeli soldiers, saying that these messages were in violation of Lebanese sovereignty. The army warned that any attempt to respond to the Israeli appeal would be considered "an act of cooperating with Israel."
