Two arrested for Hamas plot to fire rockets at stadium

Hamas activists from e. J'lem gathered intelligence on Teddy Stadium in the city as part of terror attack plan, Shin Bet investigation revealed.

By YAAKOV KATZ
omeri and hamada_311 (photo credit: Courtesy)
omeri and hamada_311
(photo credit: Courtesy)
Two east Jerusalem Arabs have been arrested by the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) for allegedly plotting to fire a missile into the capital’s main soccer stadium.
According to details of the investigation released for publication on Sunday, Musa Hamada from the Sur Baher neighborhood and his friend Bassem Omeri, an Israeli citizen from Beit Safafa, collected intelligence on Teddy Stadium, the home of Betar Jerusalem, with the goal of firing a missile into it during a game.
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The pair allegedly began plotting the attack following the IDF’s Cast Lead offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip two years ago. They visited a number of hilltops near the 21,600-capacity stadium in the capital’s south to study possible launch sites for the attack, likely to be carried out with an anti-tank missile.
The attack did not materialize, however, after the two concluded that it was too complicated.
Hamada and Omeri, the Shin Bet said, also bought a number of handguns and tried to procure rifles and bombs.
Other Arab residents of Jerusalem were involved in purchasing the weapons, and they have also been arrested.
Hamada, the Shin Bet said, visited Saudi Arabia a number of times in recent years and met there with representatives of the Muslim Brotherhood. In one of the meetings, the Saudi representative gave Hamada money that he was told to use to buy weaponry. He was also asked by the Muslim Brotherhood to gather information on strategic sites in Jerusalem.
During the investigation, the Shin Bet also uncovered a growing Hamas presence in Jerusalem aimed at establishing a foothold on the Temple Mount. This is done by funding maintenance of the Temple Mount compound and subsidizing school trips to the mosques there.