Secret Police Claim They Have Destroyed Terrorist Cell
Sydney Morning Herald
Friday August 23, 2002
Israeli secret police have arrested members of a Palestinian cell suspected of eight terrorist attacks, including a bombing at a university in Jerusalem that killed nine people.
The cell, said to be part of the militant Islamic group Hamas, is allegedly responsible for killing at least 35 people in some of the deadliest attacks in nearly two years of Israeli-Palestinianviolence.
The group's first operation, since its formation last year, was allegedly a suicide bombing at the Moment Cafe in Jerusalem in March, in which 11 people were killed. This was followed by a suicide bombing at a billiard hall in Rishon Lezion in May in which 15 people were killed and 45 wounded.
Later the same month, Israeli police said, the cell set off a bomb attached to a fuel tanker at the country's main fuel depot near Tel Aviv. Shin Bet, Israel's secret police, announced the arrests of the five members of the cell four of whom are from east Jerusalem, where about 200,000 Arabs have residence rights on Wednesday, as Israeli and Palestinian officials were implementing a fragile security plan seen as a test for a truce halting violence that has claimed at least 1507 Palestinian and 589 Israeli lives.
Israel's Interior Minister, Eli Yishai, said yesterday that he planned to strip the cell members of their residency rights to deter other Palestinians in the city from taking part in terrorist attacks. He said there was no need to wait for a trial, because the evidence was clear and based on intelligence of their terrorist activity.
One of those arrested is a painter at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, who is accused of planting the bomb in the Frank Sinatra Cafeteria and detonating it with the use of a mobile phone. The bombing was to avenge Israel's killing of Hamas's military wing commander, his deputy and 14 other Palestinians, including nine children.
The day after the attack the man, Mohammed Odeh, 29, the father of two children, was asked to come and help repaint the scorched interior of the cafeteria he had destroyed.
A resident of Silwan, an Arab village outside of Jerusalem's Old City, Mr Odeh is accused of gathering information for the cell and taking part in all the attacks. The other attacks included the planting of bombs along train lines near Tel Aviv in June and July, which injured five people and a bomb against another fuel tanker, earlier this month, which injured one person.
Members of the cell were arrested on Saturday as they were allegedly on their way to carry out another attack, police said.
Another 10 Palestinians have been arrested for questioning about the cell's activities, though it is unclear if they will be charged.
© 2002 Sydney Morning Herald
