Israel thwarts Arab plot to assassinate IDF officer

Israel exposed an Arab plot to assassinate a senior IDF officer in retaliation for the murder of senior Hamas commander Mazzen Fuqaha.

Israel’s security forces arrested seven Israeli-Arabs who plotted to assassinate a senior IDF officer in retaliation for the murder of senior Hamas commander Mazzen Fuqaha in Gaza

The terror plot was exposed and the terror cell was arrested. The cell was from the Arab town of Jaljulya in the center of Israel.

An investigation into an illegal weapons trafficker, Mahmoud Muhammad Abdul Karim Daoud,  exposed the fact that during his involvement in weapons trafficking, he learned of a terrorist plot underway by two brothers from Jaljulya.

The two brothers, Adam Ismail Muhammad Faki and Faras Ismail Muhammad Faki, were arrested.

Adam Faki, 25, was known to the police for prior criminal actions. Faras Faki, 27, was known to Israel’s security services as a supporter of Islamic State (ISIS) terror group and as an active criminal.

According to the investigation, Adam visited the Gaza Strip in December 2014 to attend a family wedding. During his visit, he was recruited by his half-brother Muhammad and Hassan Amatzi, both members of the Hamas terror group.

He underwent military training. Senior Hamas member Hassan Jabari, the brother of Ahmed Jabari, the head of the Hamas military wing killed during Operation Pillar of Defense in 2012, trained with him.

In April, Hamas asked Adam Faki to plan an attack on an Israeli officer, an act of revenge for the death of senior Gaza Strip-based Hamas commander Mazzen Fuqaha.

Hamas blames Israel for the assassination, while Israel has intimated that he was killed by his own men, the result of an internal power struggle.

Faki was asked by Hamas to purchase weapons, select a target and recruit someone else to assist him in carrying out the attack. Faki then contacted Jaljulya resident Yassin Ma’ari and attempted to buy two handguns and a silencer.

Faras Faki was arrested on suspicion of knowledge of the plot and aiding Muhammad Faki, his half-brother from Gaza, to create a secret communication channel with Adam via his cellphone.

The Shin Bet stated that this incident “underscores the risk reflected in the link between the criminal and security offense worlds, especially the transfer of war material from criminals to terrorists. This link constitutes a tangible danger.”

The Shin Bet added that the exposed plot also underscores “how Hamas exploits Israel’s humanitarian policy vis-à-vis the Gaza Strip, including the exploitation of family visits, medical treatment, and commerce for terrorist purposes.”

The State Attorney’s Office on Thursday filed indictments against four of the seven members arrested in the case.

By: Aryeh Savir, World Israel News