Israel’s Shin Bet security service says it has uncovered a plot to target Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other VIP’s.
The Shin Bet says a resident of a Palestinian refugee camp in east Jerusalem is among those in custody for his involvement in the plot, orchestrated from Syria, to harm Netanyahu and Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat.
Muhammad Jamal Rashdeh, 30, a resident of the Shuafat refugee camp in eastern Jerusalem, who holds an Israeli ID card and who has previously been imprisoned for terrorist offenses – was arrested.
Rashdeh had also collected intelligence on his Syrian handler’s behalf to target the U.S. Consulate in Jerusalem (which has since been converted into an embassy) and a delegation of Canadian security officials who were in Jerusalem to train Palestinian Authority security forces in the West Bank. It says the plan involved sneaking in an operative from Jordan and “significant terrorist activity” was foiled.
Additional suspects have been arrested who, in their investigations, verified the suspicions against the cell; their detention thwarted the aforesaid planned terrorist attacks.
Indictments against those involved were filed on Sunday, 13 Sivan.
Barkat said he was kept in the loop throughout the investigation and had not changed his routine at all. He says “no threat will deter us.”
There was no immediate comment from Netanyahu.
The following video was posted on Mayor Nir Barkat’s Facebook page.
“Our Shin Bet is among the best in the world. During the entire matter of the threat I was kept apprised and realized the Shin Bet and police were on top of matters. I was instructed not to change anything from my daily routine…
“These people will not deter us and we continue developing and building Yerushalayim.”
Israeli special forces arrest the leader of the Palestinian terror cell that planned to target PM Netanyahu and Jerusalem Mayor Barkat.
The cell also planned to attack Canadian advisors who train the PA’s security forces and buildings that belong to the US Consulate. pic.twitter.com/ffxIChqcRk
— Ofir Gendelman (@ofirgendelman) June 5, 2018
(AP / YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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2 Responses
Chasdei H’
If Heaven Forbid anything untowardly would have happened to Bibi Netanyahu, this would have been infinitely worse than Rabin’s assassination. Bibi Netanyahu & Menachem Begin ZTK’L are by far, the 2 best Prime Ministers we have merited to have.