25 April 2002
Marwan Barghouti's Connection to Terror
(Communicated by the IDF Spokesman)
Muhammad Abdullah, a taxi driver from Bir-Nabalah and a Tanzim-Fatah
operative, who was arrested during Operation Defensive Shield,
related during questioning that he committed the shooting attack on
the French Hill-Ramot road in Jerusalem, in which an Israeli woman
was killed, on the request of Marwan Barghouti.
In addition he participated in aiding the infiltration of a terrorist
who caried out a shooting attack on Jaffa Street in Jerusalem, in
which two Israelis were killed. Muhammad said that after Raed Karmi
was killed, Barghouti demanded that his cell members carry out a
revenge terrorist attack that same day. They received this
instruction from his assistant and right-hand man, Ahmed Barghouti. A
few hours later the cell members carried out a shooting attack on an
Israeli vehicle near a gas station in Givat Ze'ev, in which one
Israeli woman was killed and another injured.
Additional information discovered during the questioning of several
Tanzim operatives detained in Operation Defensive Shield points to
the direct involvement of Marwan Barghouti in terror, as expressed
among others in his ordering of terror attacks, the funding of
terrorist activity and the supply of weapons to the terrorists.
Following are several examples:
Bilal Barghouti - resident of Beit Rima, senior Hamas operative
arrested by IDF forces in the Preventative Intelligence Headquarters
in Bitunia. He related that during the time he was wanted by the
Israelis he lived a short while in Marwan Barghouti's house. During
his stay there he saw a number of weapons, and when he left the house
Barghouti armed him with a gun for his use.
Majad Ziada, resident of Ramallah, related that he participated in
many shooting attacks against the Israeli security forces and against
Israelis. Six months ago he participated in a shooting attack on the
Beit-El bypass road, in a shooting attack on an IDF base in Bitunia,
a shooting attack in the Tira area, and several other shooting
attacks in which there were no casualties. In at least two attacks
the terrorist cell carrying out the shooting attacks used a silver
Mazda 323 belonging to the son of Marwan Barghouti.
Amir Abu Radha, resident of Ramallah, Tanzim operative, related that
he participated in many shooting attacks against Israeli security
forces and against Israeli villages near Ramallah. He also related
that he and his terrorist cell received extensive logistical aid in
the purchase of weapons and ammunition, as well as paychecks from
Marwan Barghouti.
Bashar Barghouti - resident of El-Bira, graduated from medical school
in Iraq, worked as a specializing doctor in the Al-Mukassed Hospital
in Ramallah. He related that he heard from another military activist
who was involved in shooting attacks, that he gave Barghouti a '87
Subaru vehicle in which terrorists planned to infiltrate into Israel
and carry out suicide attacks.
Haitam Hamdan, resident of Beit-Sira, military operative in the
Al-Aqsa brigades, who was arrested by IDF forces in the Preventative
Intelligence building in Bitunia, and who was involved in two
shooting attacks on the Atarot road, related that he received
assistance and guidance in his activities directly from Ahmed
Barghouti, with the knowledge of Marwan Barghouti.