East Jerusalem resident charged with spying for Hamas

Obada Alami accused of being in contact with terror operatives in Turkey, filming strategic sites, and collecting money

Illustrative image of security prisoners in the Ofer Prison facility near Ramallah, August 20, 2008. (Moshe Shai/Flash90)
Illustrative image of security prisoners in the Ofer Prison facility near Ramallah, August 20, 2008. (Moshe Shai/Flash90)

Prosecutors on Monday filed an indictment against East Jerusalem resident Obada Alami, 39, accusing him of espionage, contact with a foreign agent, and terror activities, the Justice Ministry said in a statement.

According to the charge sheet, lodged at the Jerusalem District Court, Alami had been in contact since October 2018 with two Hamas terror group operatives who were in Turkey.

At their request, he filmed and gathered information about strategic security sites in Israel, including military bases and airports, with full knowledge that his activities were designed to help Hamas military operations, the indictment said.

Additionally, Alami is accused of collecting money from 2017 to 2018 and transferring it to Hamas to fund its operations.

The Hamas members also asked Alami to give them names of people suspected of selling land to Jews or of cooperating with Israeli security forces, according to the charge sheet.

Masked gunmen take part in the funeral of Mahmoud al-Nabahin, a member of Hamas’s military wing, in the Buriej refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip on January 23, 2019. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)

The Shin Bet security service has in the past accused Turkey of helping Hamas raise and launder funds for its terrorist activities against Israel.

Prosecutors asked that the suspect be held in custody until the end of legal proceedings against him.

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