Israel, Palestinians thwart plans for terror attack
By GIL SEDAN
Jewish Telegraphic Agency
August 22, 2000
JERUSALEM--Israeli
and Palestinian security forces say they have uncovered a
terrorist group linked to millionaire terror mastermind Osama
bin Laden.
Brian
Hendler/JTA
Two soldiers patrol the streets of
downtown Jerusalem Sunday as Israel goes on
a heightened security alert following the arrest of 23
suspected terrorists over the
last few months.
Over
the last few months, Israel arrested some 23 individuals who
allegedly planned a range of attacks in Israel, the West Bank
and the Gaza Strip. The uncovering of the cell prompted word
of caution from the U.S. State Department to Americans living
and traveling in Israel.
The
U.S. government issued a public announcement last week that
there is “an increased possibility for terrorist attacks in
Israel, the West Bank and Gaza,” and urged Americans to
“increase their vigilance with respect
to their personal security.”
In
addition, a U.S. congressional report released Monday said bin
Laden supporters may be planning attacks in Israel to try to
thwart the Middle East peace process.
According
to security sources, the group planned a variety of attacks
using missiles, remote controlled bombs and suicide
bombers--all designed to inflict massive casualties similar to
the 1998 U.S. Embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania, which
have been blamed on bin Laden.
The
arrests prevented plans to detonate a roadside bomb on an
Israeli army patrol near Netzarim in the Gaza Strip, the
firing of a missile at a settlement and the kidnapping of
Israeli soldiers, authorities said.
The
man in charge of the ring is said to be Nabil Okal, 27, from
the Jebaliya refugee camp in the Gaza Strip. Okal was arrested
in June.
According
to security sources, Okal received help from Hamas leader
Sheik Ahmed Yassin. It is not clear whether Yassin knew of
Okal’s links to bin Laden.
Okal
reportedly recruited the terrorists, among them a number of
Israeli Arabs. Security services arrested at least three of
them while they were trying to move weapons from a hiding
place near the Egyptian border in the Negev Desert to the West
Bank.
Okal
is said to have spent time in Afghanistan and Pakistan. He
reportedly received extensive training in the manufacturing of
bombs and the use of remote controlled devices from bin
Ladin’s organization.
Senior
Israeli security sources said the terror ring reveals a
dangerous network of a new nature, which involves different
groupings and cuts across borders. The network included links
with terrorist headquarters in Damascus, as well as the
Iranian Revolutionary Guard, which so far was unable to act
inside Israel proper.
Despite
news of the thwarted attacks, Israeli officials were upset
with the U.S. travel advisory.
“There
aren’t any warnings that require such an announcement as I
heard put out by the U.S. State Department,” said Danny
Yatom, a top security adviser to Prime Minister Ehud Barak.
Traveling
in Israel is safe and Israeli authorities make every effort to
ensure the safety of tourists, said Mark Regev, a spokesman
for the Israeli Embassy in Washington.
There
is an ongoing terrorist threat to Israel as there is to other
countries, Regev added. Israel is very active in
counterterrorism and there is no reason why tourists
shouldn’t come, he said.
A
State Department spokesman said there are terrorist risks and
threats in the region. The announcement is “simply a way of
reminding people of those threats and that they need to take
appropriate steps to watch out for their security,” said
Philip Reeker.
(JTA
correspondent Sharon Samber in Washington contributed to this
report.)