The Philippine National Police (PNP) on Tuesday uncovered an alleged Hamas plot to “establish a foothold” in the East Asian country by inciting violence against Israelis there.
The report, which was published in the Philippine Daily Inquirer, said that the plot was unveiled through a piece of information revealed by a local contact of a Palestinian-based group in the country.
The PNP, citing a report made by Intelligence Group Director Police Brigadier General Neil Alinsangan said: "Our Filipino source identified the Hamas operative as ‘Bashir’ who was reportedly attempting to establish a foothold in the Philippines with pledges of financial support to some local terrorist groups, including militant extremists with links to the international terrorist organizations.
Coordination and information sharing with foreign and local counterparts disclosed that Bashir’s real name is Fares Al Shikli, who allegedly heads Hamas’s Foreign Liaison Section. He has also an Interpol Red Notice and is charged with an Offense of Terrorism Logistic Support."
The PNP also revealed that the Filipino source made several trips to Malaysia between 2016 and 2018, where he met “Bashir” to discuss the possibility of staging attacks against Israelis in the country in exchange for financial assistance from Hamas.
“It was in 2016 that Fares Al Shikli started grooming him as a local contact in the Philippines and introduced him to theoretical bomb-making training in one of their meetings in Malaysia. In late 2017, Fares Al Shikli expressed his intention with the source to recruit Filipinos with links to local threat groups that will be utilized to kill Jews present in the country, conduct rallies at selected embassies, and spread video propaganda in exchange for financial support,” the PNP said.