J'lem man indicted for aiding Hamas

Beit Tsafafa resident was recruited into Muslim Brotherhood.

By JPOST.COM STAFF
Hamas terrorists 311 (photo credit: AP)
Hamas terrorists 311
(photo credit: AP)
The defendant, Ahmed Ben Issa Awad, was studying electrical engineering at Near East University on the Turkish side of Nicosia, where he befriended two Palestinians from the Gaza Strip, identified as Mautaz Hamuda and Shadi Iyyad. Not long after he met them, Awad learned that they were members of Hamas.
The two allegedly enlisted him into the Muslim Brotherhood organization in Cyprus and also brought him into a secret religious study group. Afterward, the Muslim Brotherhood financed a trip for the three of them to Istanbul, where they attended two courses.
RELATED:
3 Israeli-Arabs charged with espionage
Lebanon compiles list of spy cases against Israel
In January 2010, Hamuda introduced Awad to Asham Hamad. He told Awad that Asham had come to study at the university, but Awad quickly learned that Asham was not a student.
Asham questioned Awad about his personal life, his family members, where he worked in Israel and other matters. He recorded the answers on his portable computer.
Asham then told Awad he intended to transfer him from the Muslim Brotherhood in Cyprus to the Muslim Brotherhood in Jerusalem. He added that the Jerusalem branch would pay for half his tuition, as well as his room and board.
By this time, Awad understood that Asham was a Hamas agent. In late January, Asham told Awad that he wanted to enlist him to gather intelligence on sites in Israel, including in Jerusalem, as well as to report on social and political developments.
He also told Awad that he would have to write reports and pass them on to his Hamas superiors. Awad agreed to take on the assignment.
Asham then put Awad through a fourday course in which he taught him how to follow others and detect anyone following him, methods to communicate secretly including the use of codes, ways to resist Israeli interrogation methods, the proper way to prepare reports and other espionage skills.
At the end of the training, Asham assigned Awad the code name “Khaled.”
Awad then returned to Israel.