Members of PA intelligence murdered IDF soldier

Detainee shot at Israeli cars and buses under direct orders from Jericho special forces commander.

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
fatah gunmen 298 88 ap (photo credit: AP [file])
fatah gunmen 298 88 ap
(photo credit: AP [file])
A member of the Palestinian intelligence forces who was involved in the murder of an IDF soldier was recently arrested in a combined operation conducted by the army and the Shin Bet. Nadim Awad, 32, of Salem was arrested by security forces in December 2005, and admitted to participating in a shooting attack on the Jericho bypass road in December 2000, killing Sgt. Tal Gordon and wounding a female passenger. Awad informed investigators that two senior Palestinian intelligence officers planned the shooting attack, which he carried out with Abed Al Karim and Hamed Ahmed Shatia, two other members of the intelligence force. A fourth member of the cell identified as Hassin Zbeidii was killed in a gun battle with soldiers in Ramallah in February 2002. Awad revealed that the cell operated under the direct orders of Hussein Ali Mahmud Ayash, the commander of special forces in the Jericho area, and Mussa Fadilat, a senior officer. On the day of the shooting attack, Awad and Shatia headed for the Jericho bypass road to shoot at Israeli cars under the Ayash's orders. Zbeidi, Ayash and Fadilat positioned themselves at the exit from Jericho, and alerted others over a radio when they spotted Israeli cars approaching. Ayash ordered the cell members to refrain from shooting at cars with few passengers and gave direct orders to shoot when he spotted a bus approaching. Awad and Shatia opened fire, emptying an entire magazine before fleeing the site and being picked up and driven to Jericho. Additional details gleaned from Awad revealed that senior members of Palestinian intelligence were directly involved in numerous shooting attacks around Jericho during the first year of the Al Aksa intifada.