by Lilach Shoval, Eli Leon, Daniel Siryoti, Reuters and Israel Hayom Staff
Three Palestinian men in their 20s arrested in Hebron after found to identify with the Islamic State group • All three confessed to planning terrorist attacks in the name of Islamic State • The three men had planned to attack soldiers, settlers.
Hebron, where three Palestinians were arrested for attempting to create an Islamic State group cell Photo credit: David Cohen
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Israeli forces have detained three Islamic State-inspired terrorists in Hebron, the first known Palestinian cell linked to the Syria- and Iraq-based terrorist group, the Shin Bet security agency said on Sunday.
According to the Shin Bet, the three men were arrested in November and had planned to carry out several terrorist attacks. One threw an explosive device at security forces, causing no injuries. The arrests were carried out by Paratroopers 202nd Battalion.
A Shin Bet official said this was the first case Israel knew of in which Palestinians planned attacks in the name of Islamic State.
The cases of all three members of the cell were recently transferred to military court. One of the three men, 21-year-old Mohammed Zaro, was indicted at the Judea Military Court on charges of illicit group membership and activity. The other two, Ahmed Shahada, 22, and Qassai Masawada, 23, will be indicted in the coming days.
Shahada allegedly admitted to attempts to establish with his two partners an Islamic State cell to carry out terrorist attacks, the Shin Bet said. He allegedly also worked with Masawada to build explosive devices, one of which he threw at soldiers, and had plans to kill a soldier and steal his weapons and uniform in order to carry out a shooting attack -- which he attempted but did not succeed.
According to the Shin Bet, all three men confessed to their charges and Masawada further admitted to planning to kill a settler at the Ein Avraham spring in Hebron and to steal his weapon.
Yahad Haam Itanu leader Eli Yishai wrote on his Facebook page in response to the arrests, "He who goes to bed with [Palestinian Authority President] Mahmoud Abbas, should not be surprised if he wakes up with the Islamic State group."
Estimates in the West put Islamic State numbers at some 20,000 to 30,000 operatives. The Palestinian link to the organization was found to be primarily ideological rather than physical or organizational.
Islamic State recently released a propaganda video narrated by British journalist John Cantlie, who has been held hostage by the terrorist group since 2012. The video is filmed in the Iraqi city of Mosul, which has been under Islamic State control since June.
In the video, Cantlie, who looks healthier than he has in past propaganda films, tours Mosul and counters Western media reports, insisting that the city is functioning well under Islamic State control.
"This is not a city living in fear, as the Western media would have you believe," Cantlie tells viewers as he walks through a market. Later, an airplane flies overhead, and he yells sarcastically, "Down here! Over here! Drop a bomb! Try to rescue me again! Do something," and then, as the plane flies away, "Useless! Absolutely useless!"
Earlier, Islamic State published its budget for 2015, putting it at $2 billion.
Islamic State is still denying reports that it has executed the Jordanian pilot it captured, 1st Lt. Muath al-Kaseasbeh. An Islamic State official said the pilot was convicted of killing Muslims but his death sentence has not yet been carried out.
The terrorist group has said it would return the pilot in exchange for Islamist captives in Jordan, Egypt and other Arab countries.
Lilach Shoval, Eli Leon, Daniel Siryoti, Reuters and Israel Hayom Staff
Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=22595
Copyright - Original materials copyright (c) by the authors.
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