Palestinian Caught Planning Terror Attacks

The Shin Bet security service announced on Thursday that a Palestinian who had been staying illegally in Israel has confessed to attempting to carry out terrorist attacks, including kidnapping a civilian from a private home in the north.

Morad Ali-Hassin, 25, was arrested last month in a joint Shin Bet and police operation and indicted at the Haifa District Court on Thursday, on charges of attempted kidnapping, trespassing and assault. He had been jailed once before in Israel, in 2008-9, after trying  to stab a soldier at a checkpoint.

The Shin Bet said in a statement that Ali-Hassin confessed during questioning to several attempted attacks in the Misgav Regional Council. On April 19, he tried breaking into a home in the community of Avtalion, armed with a knife, the Shin Bet said. Hassin allegedly planned to kidnap a member of the household, to take hostage and use as a bargaining chip in yield negotiations for the release of Palestinian prisoners.

Ali-Hassin also admitted during the interrogation to throwing firebombs at cars in the area, once on April 20 near the Avtalion community and again a day later, near Kibbutz Eshbal. There were no casualties in either incident.

The arrest proves “the great danger of illegal residents entering Israel” and the need “to close any breaches in the fence that are being exploited for entry,” the Shin Bet said.

This article appeared in print on page 6 of the May 23rd, 2014 edition of Hamodia.