Amjad Jabareen is accused of assisting the terrorists in preparing for the attack that killed two police officers and injured two more.
By YONAH JEREMY BOBUpdated: AUGUST 24, 2017 23:59Screenshot of footage released by Israel Police of the terror attack on Temple Mount, July 14, 2017.(photo credit: ISRAEL POLICE)
An Israeli Arab accomplice to the Temple Mount terrorist attack in mid-July was indicted in the Haifa District Court on Thursday.In the attack, three gunmen opened fire on a group of policemen near the Lions’ Gate to Jerusalem’s Old City, killing two officers and wounding two more before the attackers were killed by police.The indictment filed by the Haifa District Attorney’s Office against Amjad Jabareen, 34, from Umm el-Fahm, said he assisted the terrorists in finding places to practice their shooting and helped them scout out the security cameras on the Temple Mount.According to the indictment, Jabareen was present during multiple conversations in which the terrorists discussed the details of the planned attack, including what to target and how, which means he may have known of the attack as early as May 26. The indictment noted that the terrorists initially disagreed about whether to carry out their attack on a settlement or near the Temple Mount.The indictment also said that on the day of the attack, Jabareen drove the assailants part of the way to the Temple Mount. He also hid some of their personal items, contacted another person to destroy footage of them preparing for the attack at an Umm el-Fahm mosque and erased all communication with and contact details of the terrorists from his cellphone.Jabareen was charged with being an accomplice to murder and with causing substantial bodily harm, with weapons violations, with obstruction of justice and with conspiracy to perpetrate a felony.The slain police officers were Hail Stawi, 30, from Maghar, and Kamil Shanan, 22, from Hurfeish, both in the Galilee. Shanan was the son of Druse former Knesset member Shakib Shanan. He was recruited to the Israel Police’s Temple Mount unit in 2012.The attackers were later identified by the Shin Bet as Muhammad Ahmad Mahmoud Jabarin, 29, Muhammad Ahmed Fadel Jabarin, 19, and Muhammad Hamed Abd al-Latif Jabarin, 19, all from Umm el-Fahm in the North.Following the attack, the assailants fled to the Temple Mount, where they were killed by police.Also on Thursday, the Haifa Magistrate’s Court indicted Sheikh Raed Salah, leader of the Northern Branch of the Islamic Movement, for incitement to terrorism for a speech on July 21 relating to the Temple Mount controversy. Tensions heightened at the holy site after Israel installed metal detectors at its entrances to enhance security following the terrorist attack.