Palestinian cell charged over killing two Israeli border policemen

Israeli online daily, Haaretz, reported on Wednesday that three Palestinians of East Jerusalem were arrested and charged with planning two recent attacks in Jerusalem in which one Israeli border policeman was killed.

Image captured from Haaretz web clip

The police lifted a gag order on the issue on Wednesday. The Israeli prosecution filed its indictment ten days ago to the District Court in Jerusalem.

 The indictment states that the cell is responsible for the killing of Border Policeman Rami Zuari, in a shooting attack which was carried out in January of this year in Shu’fat refugee camp in east Jerusalem. Another border policeman was wounded in the attack.

 The arrestees are also accused of carrying another shooting attack in July at the Lion’s Gate at the entrance of the Old City of Jerusalem.

Haaretz reported that after these attacks were carried out, the Shin Bet security services and the Jerusalem police launched an investigation which led to the arrest of Mohammad Adnan Abu Sneina, 21, who is believed to be the head of the cell.

 The police searched the house of Abu Sneina in Anata neighborhood in Jerusalem and found three pistols, knives, and electric shotguns.

 His father, a member of Fateh movement, was kidnapped by the army in 1981 and was sentenced to a life-term after he was convicted of killing two Israeli soldiers. He was released in a prisoner swap deal in 1985.

 The Israeli security services also believe that members of this cell planned to kill a Jerusalem district police officer and to kidnap a soldier.

The security services also claimed that the arrestees planned to open fire at a police vehicle near the Almog Junction, north of the dead Sea, and that they also planned a shooting attack at an Israeli bus at the French Hill, in addition to planning another attack against Israeli soldiers in Tal Romedia in Hebron.

The police said that the attackers apparently acted on their own without the support of any Palestinian group.

The Israeli prosecution demanded stripping the families of the attackers from their civil and social rights, and also demanded that the homes of the suspects should be demolished.

Image captured from Haaretz web clip