Two Israeli citizens from the Tulkarm area were arrested while smuggling firearms and explosives for the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorist movement from Jordan in early August, the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) said on Tuesday.The two were identified as Samer Farid Ghanam Knoh and Osama Nissim Ghazi Harouf, the latter of whom is known for his connections to terrorist operatives.Another unnamed individual from the same area was arrested as well. On August 3, Knoh and Harouf were caught smuggling firearms and explosives at the Jordanian border, with four handguns and four explosive devices found in their possession.A photo of the devices showed that the explosive devices were MON-50 anti-personnel mines (similar to a Claymore mine) produced in Russia and Bulgaria. It is unclear where the weapons were being sourced from.
An investigation by the Shin Bet and police revealed that the two had been recruited by terrorist operatives in the Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Jenin refugee camp to smuggle weapons.They were also found to be involved in transferring funds and weapons to terrorists in the Nur Shams refugee camp near Tulkarm. The two admitted that they were handled by operatives in Nur Shams. On Tuesday, an indictment was filed at the Nazareth District Court.Police said the central unit of the Northern District and the border unit of the police took part in the investigation, in coordination with the Central District.“This incident once again illustrates the efforts of terrorist elements to promote military activity against the IDF and Israeli citizens, including repeated attempts to smuggle illegal weapons through the country’s borders,” the Shin Bet said on Tuesday. Terrorist groups continue attempts to smuggle explosives to Israel, West BankThe announcement comes a day after exports through the Kerem Shalom crossing were halted after the Defense Ministry thwarted an attempt to smuggle several kilograms of explosive material from the Gaza Strip into Israel.
Inspectors at the Kerem Shalom crossing found the highly explosive material hidden among a shipment of clothing. The defense establishment suspects that the explosives were intended for terrorist elements, although a statement by the Defense Ministry did not clarify where the shipment was headed.