Prison guard probed for allegedly smuggling phones to terrorist behind deadly attack
Officer suspected of being bribed by brother of Wail Nairat, convicted of carrying out 2004 bombing of Qalandiya Checkpoint that killed 2
Michael Horovitz is a breaking news editor at The Times of Israel
A guard at Ramon Prison in southern Israel is being investigated for allegedly smuggling phones to a convicted terrorist serving a life sentence for a deadly attack, police said on Tuesday.
The guard, an Ofakim resident in his 30s, was questioned by police over suspicions that he smuggled phones to Wail Nairat, who was part of a terror cell that carried out a deadly bombing attack on the Qalandiya Checkpoint in the West Bank on August 11, 2004, in exchange for bribes from the prisoner’s brother.
The attack on the checkpoint killed two Palestinian men, Ayid Mustafa Abed Raba Daghr and Saleh Rashid Abu Sneina, and injured several Border Police officers.
Nairat is kept in a separate security wing because he poses a danger to other prisoners and personnel, the Israel Prison Service said.
In addition to the questioning, police reportedly searched the suspect’s home and locker at the prison on Tuesday morning.
According to reports, police believed this is not the first time Nairat’s brother has attempted to smuggle phones to prisoners. He was arrested recently in connection to the case.
Police battle to prevent security prisoners from gaining access to phones to prevent them from conducting criminal activities or coordinating terror activities from the inside.
In 2017, Basel Ghattas, a former MK, was jailed for smuggling cellphones to security prisoners while he was serving as a lawmaker for the Joint List, an Arab party. Footage from a Prison Service surveillance camera showed the lawmaker passing envelopes to prisoners at Ketziot Prison in the south.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
The Times of Israel Community.