Three charged in plot to murder soldier

Shin Bet: Arab gang met in Lod mosque, planned to bury soldier and use his body as bargaining chip.

By YAAKOV KATZ, DAN IZENBERG
Three Arab citizens from Lod were indicted in Central District Court on Monday for allegedly planning to kidnap and murder an Israeli soldier and later use his body as a bargaining chip for the release of Palestinian security prisoners, the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) revealed on Monday. Amir Nafar, 20, an Islamic studies student at the University of Jordan, Aiman Kadura, 26, and Yassin Hinawi, 19, were arrested over the past two months by the Shin Bet and the Israel Police. During their interrogation, the three confessed to planning the kidnapping and told their Shin Bet interrogators that they held several secret meetings to discuss their plans in the al-Omari Mosque, one of the main mosques in Lod. According to the Shin Bet, all three were members of northern branch of the Islamic Movement, which is led by Sheikh Ra'ed Salah. According to the indictment, Nafar was the leader of the group. Some time before the end of 2007, while he was in Jordan, Nafar came into contact with someone whom Israeli authorities would not identify, but described as "hostile to Israel and who intended to cause harm to Israeli residents." During their meetings, Nafar allegedly agreed to kidnap and murder an Israeli soldier, then demand the release of Palestinian prisoners in return for the body. Back in Israel during the Eid al-Adha holiday, Nafar invited his two friends to an urgent meeting during which he laid out his support for the idea and said that every Muslim was obligated to fulfill the commandment to "wage jihad against the infidels." On December 20, Nafar asked Kadura and Hinawi to meet him at the mosque and told them of the plan to kidnap and kill a soldier. According to the plan, they would document the kidnapping on camera, kill the soldier, and then bury the body in a secret hiding place. According to the indictment, Hinawi was arrested on April 27. Kadura told his interrogators that he had already begun to save money for the attack. Nafar was charged with conspiracy to give assistance to the enemy in war, assistance to the enemy in war and incitement to murder. Kadura was charged with conspiracy to commit a crime and conspiracy to give assistance to the enemy in war. Hinawi, who will testify as a witness for the prosecution against Nafar and Kadura, was charged with covering up a crime.