File photo
Photo: AFP
3 east Jerusalem residents charged for planned shooting attacks against soldiers
Hamas would-be terrorists Nasim Hamada, Azz a-Din Aton and Obeida Amira of Sur Baher indicted for conspiring to commit terror attack, membership in terror group; group was in contact with Hamas terrorists released in Shalit deal, who provided it with thousands of dollars.
Three east Jerusalem residents planned shooting attacks against soldiers, indictments filed Tuesday morning with the Jerusalem District Court showed, attributing offenses of contact with a foreign agent, membership in a terror group, conspiring to commit terrorism and more to the three.
The three Palestinians were said to be part of a Hamas terror cell in east Jerusalem's Sur Baher neighborhood, near the East Talpiot neighborhood, and are known terror operatives as per the defense establishment.
The defendants are Nasim Hamada, 39, who was the group's leader and chief recruiter, Azz a-Din Aton, 24, and Obeida Amira, 29. The identity of another person involved with the group has been withheld.
File photo. Hamas operatives (Photo: AP)
Security forces' investigation into the matter turned up that Hamada was in contact with Hamas operatives expelled to the Gaza Strip as part of the prisoner swap deal securing the release of Gilad Shalit in 2011.
Hamada was recruited by the same terrorists to plan and carry out shooting attacks, prompting him to recruit Aton and the unnamed accomplice.
The three then conspired to recruit another Hamas operative to the group, and attempted to purchase armaments to carry out attacks against soldiers. The indictment added they held observations near the Seam Zone settlement of Oranit, where they planned to shoot at soldiers standing at a nearby bus stop.
The Shin Bet's investigation also discovered that two of the group's members—Aton and Amira—visited two Hamas operatives released as part of the Shalit deal in Turkey last year. During the visit, Aton received thousands of dollars from Hamas.
