Israeli Arab lawyer charged with aiding jailed Hamas terrorists
Mohammed Ahmad Abed's clients include planner of Park Hotel suicide bombing in 2002; lawyer denies all charges.
Israeli Arab lawyer Mohammed Ahmad Abed was indicted in Haifa on Monday for helping terrorists, including a Palestinian who planned the deadly 2002 suicide bombing at the Park Hotel in Netanya, in which 30 people were killed in a Seder night attack.
Abed is accused of passing communications between prisoners from Hamas who are jailed in Israel. The 42-year-old lawyer denied the charges in court amid applause from family members.
Abed, a resident of Baana in the Western Galilee, was taken into custody six weeks ago by the police and Shin Bet security service, according to information released Monday. He was charged by Haifa District Prosecutor's Office with aiding terrorists.
Specifically, Abed is under suspicion for being in contact with a foreign agent for the purpose of aiding a terrorist organization while also holding funds connected to the same organization.
Abed's family members were present at Haifa District Court on Monday and applauded him in the courtroom, shouting to him, "We're proud of you," and "Allahu Akbar."
The lawyer has denied the charges, saying, "I did my work as a lawyer and nothing more. Any other charges are simply incorrect. I didn’t send any messages and I am innocent of the charges brought against me."
In the last few years, Abed served as an attorney for several prisoners connected to the same terrorist organization.
Charges against him claim that Abed willfully delivered messages between prisoners and also to terrorist leaders in Gaza. He is accused of using additional, Palestinian lawyers from Nablus to channel the messages.
Among the prisoners he represented is Abbas Al-Sayed who is currently serving 35 life sentences for taking part in the 2002 hotel bombing.
A safe containing NIS 1,500,000 was found in Abed's home, which investigators say was for the purpose of funding the prisoners and Hamas.
In addition to the indictment, the prosecution has requested that the accused be retained in custody until the end of current court proceedings.
The indictment from the prosecution listed their reasons for the request, saying that the prisoners had contact with the Al-Noor foundation, which gives support to Hamas prisoners.
The prosecution says this contact is illegal and allowed the transfer of funds to Hamas. Included in the indictment are dozens of messages that Ahmad Abed is accused of passing between prisoners and other contacts.
The messages were intended, the indictment says, "To coordinate protests and solidarity between the leaders of Hamas and prisoners, to multiply hunger strikes and boycott courthouses, and between everything else with the target of expressing solidarity with specific prisoners and with the intention of creating changes in various decisions by the Israel Prison Service that relate to prisoner's rights and the separations of prisoners."
Different messages were directed at Hamas leaders at different prisons in Israel to get advice and guidance on the implementation of protests and unrest.
