'2 Palestinians planned to poison food at Ramat Gan restaurant'

Shin Bet arrests Nablus men who were working illegally at Grill Express; suspects allegedly recruited by al-Aksa Martyrs' Brigades.

By YAAKOV KATZ
poisoning224,88 (photo credit: Channel 10)
poisoning224,88
(photo credit: Channel 10)
Two Palestinians from Nablus who worked illegally at a restaurant in Ramat Gan have been arrested for allegedly planning to poison the food they served, the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) announced on Thursday. The two 21-year-olds - Aham Rial and Anas Salum- confessed during their interrogations to plotting to poison food at the Grill Express restaurant located near the Diamond Exchange in Ramat Gan. The plan was to use a white, odorless and tasteless poison which they were to receive from their Al Aksa Martyrs' Brigades handlers in Nablus. The two said that they were recruited into Fatah's Al Aksa Martyrs' Brigades in Nablus - which the Shin Bet said was financed by Hizbullah - after they were already working at the restaurant. The two asked their handlers in Nablus to provide them with an odorless and tasteless poison that would go into effect only four hours after digested. In addition to plotting the poison attack, the two were also asked by the Nablus infrastructure to look into the possibility of assisting them infiltrating a suicide bomber into Israel. The two were arrested on March 19, just days before security officials said they were scheduled to receive the poison. Officials said that the restaurant owner was aware that the two Palestinians were illegally in Israel and did not have work permits. Security officials said that the Fatah terror infrastructure in Nablus was still working to perpetrate attacks against Israel and would most likely make contact with Palestinians illegally working in Israel - like Salum and Rial - for assistance. In 2003, three Jerusalem Arabs with ties to Hamas were sentenced to five-to-ten years in prison for planning to carry out a mass poisoning at the Cafe Rimon restaurant in Jerusalem. The suspects told police the poison they intended to use on Cafe Rimon patrons has no taste or smell, and takes effect 15 hours after being ingested. It produces symptoms similar to a heart attack, they said.