Alleged Shin Bet informant beaten in Al-Aqsa Mosque

Angry mob beats, spits on man who they believe sent photos and videos of mosque’s interior to a Shin Bet agent.

By Lauren Marcus, World Israel News

A resident of eastern Jerusalem accused of providing information to the Shin Bet intelligence agency was attacked by Palestinians inside of Al-Aqsa Mosque on Sunday afternoon.

The man, who in social media footage identified himself as Ahmed Shweiki from the Wadi Joz neighborhood, is seen being restrained inside of the mosque, as a crowd taunts and beats him.

From the video footage, it appears that men inside the mosque placed a basket on Shweiki’s head.

As they lead him outside of the building, one man is seen spitting in his face, while another strikes him on the back of the head with a closed fist.

In a separate video, an unidentified man questions a bruised and bloodied Shweiki about his alleged cooperation with Israeli intelligence.

Shweiki said that he had been in contact with an Israeli government agent named Itzik, and had sent him information about Palestinian activity inside the mosque via Facebook messenger, as tensions ran high on Jerusalem Day.

Earlier on Sunday, Israeli officials had said they feared that Palestinians were stockpiling weapons inside the mosque and would barricade themselves inside the structure, as a record number of Jews ascended to the Temple Mount.

“I sent what I photographed [inside the mosque] to Itzik, I work with him,” he said. “Itzik’s nickname on Facebook is Abu Khaled.”

Due to his visible injuries and the presence of an angry mob nearby, it appears that Shweiki is speaking under duress.

Another video on social media depicted Palestinians scrolling through Shweiki’s Facebook Messenger conversation with Itzik.

The video appears to show that Shweiki sent the agent videos and pictures of the inside of the mosque, alongside descriptions about possible fortifications and weapons.

It’s unclear how Shweiki aroused suspicion among the throng of worshippers inside the mosque, but his photographing of the activity inside may be what sparked alarm among the men.