Shahar Dvir Zelinger is taken by Israeli police officers to a Jerusalem court on Friday. (AFP)Posted on 09/24/2003 12:05:50 PM PDT by ConservativeMan55
Shahar Dvir Zelinger is taken by Israeli police officers to a Jerusalem court on Friday. (AFP)
Some of the suspects held by the Shin Bet under suspicion of belonging to a Jewish underground terror cell were not only responsible for killing 8 Palestinians in shooting attacks, but also planned a mega-terror attack targeting a number of mosques simultaneously, including those on the Temple Mount, Maariv reported today.
According to the newspaper report, investigators from the Shin Bet internal security service believe that the recent arrest of suspected members of a terror cell prevented the group from carrying out its plans for the attacks against the mosques. The attacks were to have been perpetrated simultaneously during Friday prayer services, according to the report.
Security officials believe the three members of the so-called Bat-Ayin terror cell - Yarden Morag, Shlomo Dvir-Zeliger and Ofer Gamliel - who were convicted last week for their roles in planning a bombing attack at an east Jerusalem Arab school for girls, and the nine other Jews suspected of "security crimes" against Palestinians are members of the same group, Haaretz reported. Six of the nine have been released to house arrest while charges have only been brought against Yitzhak Pass, Mattiyahu Shvu and Shahar Dvir-Zeliger, Shlomo's brother.
When questioned by the Shin Bet, Shahar Dvir-Zeliger reportedly said he first heard of plans to bomb the mosques while attending the July 2002 funeral of Hebron resident Elazar Leibovitz. At that time he reportedly heard two members of the so-called "underground" talking about their plans, which would be perpetrated by a number of cells operating independently of each other.
"They asked me to join them, but I didn't want to," Dvir-Zeliger told his interrogators, Maariv reported.
Dvir-Zeliger also hinted that the group planned to strike at Israeli politicians as well. "They were involved in planning an attack at the political level," he said. "This is not about spying or attacking Arabs, so you can guess what it is about," he added.
Based on Dvir-Zeliger's testimony, the Shin Bet arrested those reportedly planning the attacks on the mosques. But as they proceeded with the investigation, discrepancies were discovered in Dvir-Zeliger's report. The other suspects also refused to answer questions directed at them, and they were eventually released.
In the past few days, Dvir-Zeliger has recanted his earlier testimony, Maariv added. His attorney, Ariel Atari, said that Dvir-Zeliger and the others are innocent, and that the confessions and testimony were forced out of him under pressure.
But according to media reports, Dvir-Zeliger incriminated himself, leading to his indictment on Friday. He now faces seven charges, including being an accomplice to murder, stealing weapons, and belonging to a terrorist group.
In addition, the Shin Bet believes Dvir-Zeliger was responsible for procuring arms for the group. On Friday, a publicity ban was lifted on the recent discovery of a large weapons cache, hidden in three caves near the Adei Ad settlement, where Dvir-Zeliger lives. In the caves police discovered M-16 assault rifles, machine-guns, three anti-tank rockets, hundreds of rounds of ammunition and dozens of grenades, all stolen from the Israeli army.
Dvir-Zeliger led the police to the weapons caves, Maariv reported on Sunday. Ballistics tests showed that three of the rifles were used in as-yet unsolved shooting attacks over the last two years, in which eight Palestinians were killed.
Last week, hundreds of persons attended a "thanksgiving" event in Jerusalem to celebrate the release of the other suspected members of the terror cell, after the Shin Bet failed to gather enough evidence to extend their remand.
"Our investigation is not directed at the settler population, but at the minority within it that is trying to carry out attacks," a Shin Bet official said, quoted in Maariv. "This minority doesn't recognize the authority of the security forces, and is even acting against the settlers' leadership, that opposes these attacks."
The Yesha Council of Jewish Communities in Judea, Samaria and the Gaza Strip issued a statement in support of the Shin Bet's investigations. "We praise the Shin Bet for discovering this weapons cache and for its efforts to find who is connected to it." The council reiterated its total negation of any actions taken by individuals or groups who would arm the Arab population. Council leaders recently met with Shin Bet chief Avi Dichter to offer their full cooperation with the organization.
I'm sure Peter Jennings will lead with this story tonight and apologize for the error of his ways...
I would bet any money that they would have done it when the kids weren't there.
during Friday prayer services is certainly the timing that would have the most impact.
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