Police raided a mosque in northern Israel, leading to the arrest of an Umm al-Fahm resident and confirmation of links with the banned Northern Branch of the Islamic Movement.
Israel Police raided a mosque in Umm el-Fahm early Thursday morning as part of an investigation into the July 14 terror attack in which three men from the town killed two policemen in a terror attack in the Old City of Jerusalem.
Also Thursday, the Haifa District Attorney filed an indictment against a local resident, 35-year-old Amjad Muhammad Jabarin, for allegedly abetting the residents to murder Druze-Israeli policemen Kamil Shnaan and Haiel Satawa.
In a statement, the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) and Israel Police said Jabarin, who was arrested on July 23, met the terrorists before the attack and knew they were planning the attack, but did nothing to prevent it. Jabarin was also accused of conspiring and assisting the armed terrorists by driving them to a drop-off point to carry out the deadly attack.
Terror Cell Based in Local Mosque
Police said that the terror cell was formed at the el-Malsa’a mosque in Umm el-Fahm, where one of the terrorists, 19-year-old Mohammed Hamed Abed Alatif Jabarin, worked as a cleaner as well as serving as muezzin.
They also said there are links between the mosque and the banned Northern Branch of the Islamic Movement in Israel. Mohamed Ahmed Mafdal Jabarin, 19, is suspected of serving in the Murabitoun, a group of Muslims paid to sit outside al-Aqsa Mosque and harass Jewish visitors to the Temple Mount. The Murabitoun group was also banned in 2015 for alleged ties to Hamas and activities that threatened state security in and around the Temple Mount.
Police added that Sheikh Raed Salah eulogized the three terrorists during their nighttime funeral, leading to his arrest on charges of incitement.
By: TPS