Terrorists alert police of attack to increase casualties
Young man from east Jerusalem and Palestinian arrive at Qalandiya Checkpoint last month with knife, Molotov cocktail. They alert police prior to attack in order to cause harm to more security officials. Luckily, attack is thwarted
A young man from east Jerusalem and his Palestinian partner in crime called the police to alert them of an attack at Qalandiya Checkpoint that they were about to carry out. They placed the call in order to increase the number of security officials on the site in hopes of causing harm to more people, according to the indictment issued against the two on Thursday in the Jerusalem District Court.
The terrorist attack, which was ultimately thwarted, was to be executed at the beginning of the month with a knife and a Molotov cocktail. The two were accused of attempted murder, illegally carrying a weapon, creating a weapon, and conspiring to commit a crime.
The indictment reveals that the two Fatah supporters, Hussam Tawashi of east Jerusalem and Muhannad Abu Garbiyeh of a-Ram, planned to carry out a self-sacrificial attack marking the anniversary of the founding of Fatah on January 1 and to avenge the killing of three Fatah activists who murdered Meir Avshalom in the West Bank. The two purportedly planned to murder Israeli soldiers and police while sacrificing their own lives in the process.
At first, the two tried to obtain a handgun or rifle to carry out the attack. However, after their attempts failed, they concocted a plan to murder Israeli police and soldiers at the Qalandiya Checkpoint by throwing a Molotov cocktail at them and stabbing them.
In order to carry out their plan, they monitored the checkpoint in order to ascertain the level of security checks carried out there. They prepared a Molotov cocktail and purchased a large butcher's knife with a 28 cm (about 11 inches) blade.
They agreed between themselves that the one who lives in east Jerusalem would go through the checkpoint first in order to capitalize on the fact that he holds an Israeli identity card in order to pass through the Molotov cocktail and the knife. The Palestinian man, according to their plan, would go through the security check after him. Then, one of them planned on throwing the Molotov cocktail while the other would stab soldiers with the knife during the ensuing chaos created by the Molotov.
Test run two days prior
Two days before the date on which they tried to carry out the attack, they called the police and said that a stabbing attack would be executed at the checkpoint. After the conversation, the two snapped the telephone's SIM card in half in order to prevent it from being located. They then observed what went on at the checkpoint. Security at the checkpoint was reinforced as a result of the call, just as the attackers wanted.
On January 5, they again called the police, this time from a different phone, and said that there would be an attack at Qalandiya Checkpoint and that security forces should be reinforced. Around 11:30 am on the same day, they reached the checkpoint. The east Jerusalem carried the Molotov cocktail, the knife, and a charge they prepared ahead of time in his bag. The Palestinian hid a small knife in his clothing.
During a routine security check, the knife and the Molotov cocktail were detected, and the planned attack was thwarted.
