Hamas cell planned kidnap of Israeli lawmaker, senior IDF officer

A Hamas terror cell plotted to kidnap and murder an Israeli lawmaker or a senior IDF officer, the Shin Bet revealed during the trial.  

By: TPS and World Israel News Staff

A Hamas terror cell had plotted to kidnap and murder an Israeli lawmaker or a senior IDF officer.

Mouad Ashtiya, a Hamas operative from the Palestinian village of Tell in Samaria, considered kidnapping and murdering Likud Member of Knesset (MK) Yehuda Glick or IDF Major Avichai Adraee, the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesperson, according to an indictment submitted against him at the Ofer military court on0 Wednesday.

According to the indictment, Ashtiya gathered intelligence about his targets on the internet before deciding that it would be easier to kidnap an Israeli civilian or a soldier from a bus stop or hitchhiking station in the Shechem (Nablus) area.

According to details of the plot revealed by the Shin Bet (Israel’s Security Agency) last week, Ashtiya headed a three-man cell that had planned to execute the plot over the Chanukah holiday.

The Shin Bet said Ashtia purchased weapons and recruited two other suspects from the village of Tell, Mohamed Ramadan and Ahmed Ramadan.

The cell members were in contact with Omar Atzida, a Hamas operative in the Gaza Strip who is engaged in planning and financing attacks in Judea and Samaria.

The Shin Bet said the Hamas leadership in Gaza has been actively involved in financing and planning the plot, which it said was aimed at gaining leverage to free security prisoners jailed in Israel.

Glick has previously been the target of Palestinian terror. A vocal advocate of Jewish rights on the Temple Mount, he narrowly survived an assassination attempt by a Palestinian terrorist in October 2014. Glick was shot and gravely wounded, but eventuallly recovered. The terrorist was shot dead by Israeli forces a day later.