Jerusalem, 24 December 2002
ISA and Israel Police arrest members of eastern Jerusalem Al-Aqsa
Martyrs Brigade
(Communicated by the Prime Minister's Media Adviser)
The ISA and Israel Police recently arrested four members of an
Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades cell, all residents of the eastern Jerusalem
neighborhood of Jebel Mukhaber who hold blue, eastern Jerusalem,
identity cards. They have confessed to perpetrating two shooting
attacks in Jerusalem and have admitted that they were planning
additional varied attacks throughout the city.
The four are:
Raad Salah Muhammad Slahot, 26;
Ali Hashem Ali Mashahade, 24;
Muhammad Suleiman Muhammad Slahot, 24; and
Khaled Musa Ali Bashir, 27.
The first three admitted to perpetrating two shooting attacks in
Jerusalem. On October 6, 2002, they shot at an Israel police van in
Jebel Mukhaber; there were no injuries. On October 18, 2002, they
shot at a police station and at homes in the Armon Hanatziv
neighborhood; there were no injuries. The three also admitted to
planning additional attacks in the Jerusalem area (in and around
Jebel Mukhaber and Armon Hanatziv), and gathered intelligence to this
effect.
They were supplied with weapons by Husam Shahin, a Tanzim operative
from Ramallah, who recruited them into the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades.
They admitted undergoing military training in Bethlehem under the
supervision of Khaled No'oura. Saad No'oura, a Tanzim operative from
Bethlehem, who has also been arrested recently, has admitted that the
three informed him of their plans to perpetrate additional attacks.
The arrest of the members of this cell joins a series of recent
arrests of terrorists, residents of Jerusalem and its environs, who
possess blue identity cards and exploit the freedom of movement
provided thereby in order to gather information on possible targets
and to perpetrate attacks.