Lone soldier indicted for selling weapons to would-be US terrorist

An IDF soldier was indicted on charges of stealing weapons from the army and selling them to a US citizen who planned to blow up Muslim holy sites, according to a Hebrew media report Monday.

The indictment, filed by the southern command’s military court last week according to the Haaretz daily, maintains that the soldier was fully aware of the plan to bomb the unidentified sacred sites when he sold the weapons.

The soldier has denied that claim, and said the US suspect stole the weapons from him.

The lone soldier from the Givati Brigade was the roommate of the suspect, Adam Everett Livix, 30, at the time.

Livix, 30, a Christian from Illinois, was charged last month with possessing weapons that Israel says he planned to use to blow up Jerusalem holy sites.

Israeli police said Livix also turned down an offer from a Palestinian to assassinate US President Barack Obama during the leader’s visit to the holy land in 2013.

In October and November, the soldier smuggled stun grenades, smoke grenades, and several explosive devices out of his unit. He agreed to sell the weapons for NIS 2,500 ($636), according to the indictment.

The soldier, however, said he took the weapons to show them off to his brothers and planned to return them. He denied selling them to Livix, saying the US man had taken them from his room while he was abroad.

While the legal document said the soldier had frequently heard Livix describe a plan to bomb Muslim holy sites, the soldier insisted he never believed Livix intended to harm anyone.

The lone soldier, who immigrated to Israel to join the IDF and served in the summer’s Gaza conflict, was in Shin Bet custody for seven days without access to an attorney. His remand was extended to Wednesday.

Israel indicted Livix on December 10 on charges of illegal weapon possession and overstaying his visa by more than a year.

According to Israel’s Justice Ministry, an unnamed Palestinian asked Livix, who said he was a former Navy SEAL, to assassinate Obama with a sniper rifle during the president’s March 2013 visit to the region, Israeli police said. Livix declined, but the FBI ended up involved in the case investigating his actions.

Later that year, Livix entered Israel, the Justice Ministry said, and told Israeli friends he had strong anti-Arab sentiments. The ministry said Livix later cooperated with his roommate, a serving soldier in the Israeli military, to obtain 1.4 kilograms (3 pounds) of explosive material to blow up the unidentified Jerusalem holy sites. The ministry said police discovered the plot in October.

AP contributed to this report.