Israel

Shin Bet Busts Terror Gang Run by Nasrallah’s Son

Wednesday, January 20, 2016 4:58 am | 2 Minute Read

By Dov Benovadia

Lebanon's Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah addresses his supporters via a screen during a commemoration service marking one week since the killing of Hezbollah militant leader Samir Qantar, in Beirut's southern suburbs, December 27, 2015. Samir Qantar was killed in an Israeli air strike in Damascus. REUTERS/Aziz Taher — Lebanon’s Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah addresses his supporters via a screen during an event marking one week since the killing of Hizbullah terrorist Samir Qantar. (Reuters/Aziz Taher)

Security officials have broken up a terror gang associated with Hizbullah that was operating in Yehudah and Shomron. Heading the terror gang was Mahmoud Za’aloul, who had been recruited for the job by none other than Ju’ad Nasrallah, a son of Hizbullah terror chief Hassan Nasrallah.

The Shin Bet announced in a statement Wednesday that it had busted the gang after intensive investigations in recent months, in cooperation with the IDF. The gang, operating in the Tulkarem area in Shomron, had planned several major terror attacks, officials said. Five people were arrested in connection with the planned attacks, and more arrests are expected, officials said.

The five were indicted in a military court Wednesday morning, after having been arrested and questioned several weeks ago, officials said. The 18-year-old Za’aloul is being charged with conspiracy to commit an act of terror, as well as associating with international terrorists, receiving funds to carry out a terror attack, money laundering, weapons possession, and attempting to destroy evidence in a criminal investigation.

According to the indictment, Za’aloul was recruited by the younger Nasrallah for the job via social networks. He was instructed to open a special e-mail account where he would receive instructions for terror attack missions he was to undertake, the indictment said. Za’aloul, in turn, recruited four other Tulkarem residents to join him in planning the attacks.

Hizbullah transferred $5,000 to Za’aloul for the purchase of materials to be used in a terror attack, as well as to pay for assistance in carrying out the attack.

Last week, the Shin Bet announced that it had busted a terror gang in the Chevron area that was organized by another notorious terrorist – Amad Kawasme, brother of Mahmad Kawasme, the mastermind behind the kidnapping and murder of Israeli teens Naftali Frenkel, Gilad Shaer, and Eyal Yifrach, Hy”d, in June 2014. The gang had planned to take Israelis captive and either kill them or use them as bargaining chips for terrorists held by Israel.