Arab Israeli sentenced for recruiting to Hamas terror cell

Twenty six year-old Faradis resident Islam Marai receives six years for "severe national security offenses," facilitating terror activities.

By YAAKOV LAPPIN
Hamas terrorists 311 (photo credit: REUTERS)
Hamas terrorists 311
(photo credit: REUTERS)
A resident of the Arab town of Faradis, in the Haifa area, was sentenced to six years in prison on Thursday for attempting to set up a Hamas terrorism cell.
Islam Marai, 26, was convicted of holding contacts with a Hamas operative, facilitating an illegal association, and providing room and board and transport to a foreign citizen. He was sentenced at the Haifa District Court.
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The conviction came as part of a plea bargain with state prosecutors, which was based on a confession by Marai.
State prosecutors said in a charge sheet filed in December 2010 that his contacts with Hamas were aimed at creating a terrorism cell inside Israel that was tasked with carrying out lethal attacks against Israeli civilians.
Marai was found guilty of attempting to recruit Arab-Israelis into Hamas' al-Qassam Brigades.
The Haifa District Court said on Thursday that Marai had been found guilty of severe national security offenses, and that he exploited his presence inside the country to facilitate terrorist activities.