J'lem Arabs arrested for Hamas recon

Men were allegedly to receive weapons, explosives for attacks.

By YAAKOV KATZ
Jerusalem Hamas Arabs 311 (photo credit: Shin Bet [Israel Security Agency])
Jerusalem Hamas Arabs 311
(photo credit: Shin Bet [Israel Security Agency])
Two Arabs from east Jerusalem were arrested for allegedly enlisting in Hamas and gathering intelligence on potential targets for terror attacks inside Israel, the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) revealed on Monday.
The two Israeli identity card holders – Marad Namer, 25, from Sur Baher, and Marad Kamal, 24, of Wadi Joz - were arrested on January 3 in the Beersheba central bus station. They were allegedly in possession of digitized intelligence information pertaining to various places in Israel that they had gathered on behalf of Hamas for the planning of terror attacks.
During their interrogations, the two said that they were recruited by Hamas during work and studies in Jordan and Dubai.
Upon their return to Israel, the two are said to have started collecting information on potential targets for Hamas terror attacks including the Malha Mall in Jerusalem, the central bus station in the capital as well as nearby Mevaseret Zion and the hotel and beach area in Tel Aviv. The two also scouted out the IDF Tel Hashomer Base near Tel Aviv.
Namer was recruited into Hamas’s military wing as an engineering student in Jordan between 2003 and 2007. He traveled to Saudi Arabia for meetings with Hamas officials and at one point recruited his friend, Kamal who was also studying in Jordan.
In 2008, Namer moved to Dubai where he worked as an engineer and continued to maintain contact with Hamas officials, some of whom were in Turkey.
According to the investigation, Namer and Kamal returned to Israel in 2009 and immediately began collecting intelligence on Israeli targets. Security officials said that they conducted their work thoroughly and took pictures, videos and even prepared maps and sketches of the mall and bus station in Jerusalem. They also counted the number of average visitors, particularly soldiers, at each site and reviewed security measures.
Officials say they then stored the information on a flash drive andwere supposed to transfer the material to representatives of Hamasheadquarters in Damascus. The two were also, at one point, supposed toreceive weaponry and explosives from their Hamas contacts and locatedan empty cave in the Sataf nature reserve outside Jerusalem which theyexpanded and planned to use to store the contraband.
Securityofficials noted that the two used their Israeli identity cards to movefreely within Israel. The case, the officials said, underscored theefforts terror groups make to recruit Israeli Arab students studyingoverseas. The two were indicted in the Jerusalem District Court onMonday.