East Jerusalem men charged with planning attack on behalf of Hamas

A pair of East Jerusalem residents are charged today with planning to carry out a attack on behalf of Palestinian terror group Hamas.

According to the indictments filed at the Jerusalem District Court, Adam Muselmani and Mahmoud Abdel Latif befriended each other in 2017 while serving time at Nafha Prison.

The two planned to carry out a shooting in Hamas’s name at a beach in Tel Aviv following their release from prison, the charge sheets say, citing the high number of attacks in Jerusalem and the heavy police presence in the capital.

Following their release in February 2019, Muselmani and Abdel Latif traveled to Istanbul to meet with a Hamas operative, who allegedly suggested they instead target a public figure. The indictment says the Hamas member named former Jerusalem mayor Nir Barkat, ex-police chief Roni Alsheich and Temple Mount activist and then-Likud MK Yehudah Glick.

The Hamas member later gave them funds to carry out the attack and a pair of pants in which were hidden messages from Hamas, according to the indictment.

A third East Jerusalem man, Issa Bin Nazem Natsheh, was also indicted for contacting the Hamas operative in Istanbul and for using money he received from him.

Prosecutors request all three remain in custody until the end of legal proceedings.