Railroad attack planner sent to jail
Court sentences Israeli-Arab to 15-year prison term for planning to plant three explosive devices on railroad tracks near Netanya; accomplice sentenced to eight years in prison
Doukan was convicted of conspiring to aid the enemy at wartime and contacting a foreign agent.
Amir Ziouti, another Taibeh resident who helped Doukan plan the attack, was sentenced to eight years in prison.
A few years go, Doukan moved from the Balata refugee camp to live in Taibeh after his family obtained Israeli citizenship. According to his admission, on the summer of 2004 he was contacted by Muhammad Jamaa, a resident of the camp and a member of the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, who asked for his help in smuggling explosive devices from the West Bank into Israel.
In September, Doukan met with Ahmad Kaissi, who is wanted by the Shin Bet, and during their meeting Kaissi demanded that Doukan assist in the smuggling of three explosive devices to Israel to be used in a terror attack on railroad tracks near Netanya.
Kaissi requested that the explosives be placed inside a carriage yet Doukan said it will be difficult for him to leave the train unnoticed afterwards and instead proposed to plant the devices on the track.
Kaissi then explained to Doukan how to place and detonate the explosives on the track. Doukan was supposed to collect the explosives by taxi in a bag containing clothes which he will pick up from the Dir Sharaf crossing.
Following his meeting with Kaissi, Doukan succeeded in drafting Ziouti, who proposed the devices be smuggled to the Azrieli Towers in Tel Aviv.
On October 5, 2004, Doukan called Kaissi to ask if the explosives were ready. Doukan had planned to collect the devices on October 10, yet a day earlier he was arrested and his planned attack was foiled.
'Internal enemy'
During Thursday's court hearing, Doukan and Ziouti expressed their regret over their acts. A memorandum issued by the police's probation service even stated that 19-year-old Doukan was subject to violent and humiliating behavior by his father during his childhood, and that when he moved to Taibeh he felt socially isolated and was forced to keep in touch with his friends from the refugee camp.
The judges, however, were not impressed by the suspect's harsh childhood and ruled that his offenses were "among the most severe in the book of laws and entail a harsh, real and painful punishment, which will deter potential criminals from taking part, whether directly or indirectly, in terror attacks."
"Doukan's horrible and despicable plan to cause a blood bath of innocent Israeli citizens, had already taken shape and was miraculously thwarted only due to his arrest," the judges said.
"We cannot ignore the violation of the loyalty obligation committed by the suspects, who are citizens and residents of Israel and acted as an internal enemy," they added.
