The Haifa District Prosecutor's Office on Thursday charged five youths with planning a series of terror attack and soldier abductions.
The five, residents of the northern villages of Mrar and Barta'a, were indicted on multiple counts of aiding and abetting the enemy, contacting a foreign agent and weapon charges.
Identified as Suhaiv Khalil Kabha (20), Kutaibeh Dura Kabha (19), Muhammad Shawqi Kabha (19) and Ahmed Hassin Kabha (21) – all from Barta'a, and Abdullah Yunis Karube (20) of Mrar, they have entered a plea of not guilty.
The State alleges that in late 2008, Karube contacted a resident of the Gaza Strip, who identified himself as abu-Kassem, online, and the two discussed the need to help the Strip's residents by carrying out terror attacks in Israel.
Abu-Kassem encouraged Karube to learn how to make explosive devices and assured him he will not be exposed should he indeed carry out an attack.
According to the indictment, abu-Kassem also offered Karube monetary aid to that effect. The latter, said the prosecution, believed abu-Kassem to be an Islamic Jihad member, and during the six months the two were on contact, he studied the mechanics of explosive devices and even assembled one.
Karube then contacted Suhaiv Kabha and the two discusses "the Israeli-Arabs' need to avenge Israel's actions during the Gaza offensive." The State alleges that the two conspired to aid the enemy by carrying out attacks on IDF soldiers or other member of the Israeli armed forces.
The two allegedly obtained weapons and explosives and discussed various ways to carry out attacks and abducting soldiers, who could later be used as bargaining chip in a possible deal to free Palestinian prisoners.
They also debated ways to fund their attempts, as well as the need to form an organized terror cell. According to the case file, the two exchanged bombs' blueprints and Karube made a video depicting the method of a soldier's abduction and sent it to Suhaiv Kabha.
'My son is being framed'
The case file also details how Suhaiv Kabha took it upon himself to form a terror cell, and recruited Kutaibeh Kabha, Muhammad Kabha and Ahmed Kabha. The four would meet in a forest near Barta'a, where the trained and hid their weapons.
Suhaiv Kabha, stated the prosecution, was also able to locate and IDF training facility in the area, film it and deem it "worthy" of an attack. Kutaibeh Kabha then approached a third party and purchased two explosive devices. He also acquired weapons from a fourth party.
Chief Superintendent Avi Algarisi, of the Amakim Subdistrict police told Ynet that the police had "evidence linking the defendants to known terror groups in the territories."
The cell, he added, trained and tested their abilities and the damage their explosives may cause. "We arrested them on the eve of Passover, after (the intelligence) indicated they were ready to make their move. We wanted to thwart the possibility of at attack on the holiday."
Ynet has also learned that one of the defendants admitted to being a member of the "Galilee Freedom Battalions", a statement still investigated by the police.
Abdullah Karube's father professed his son's innocence, telling Ynet that "my son didn’t do any of this, he is being framed, maybe by the man he talked to on the internet. He's just a 19-year-old kid who should have joined the police."
Karube senior, a Bedouin, served in the Israeli Defense Forces for 18 years and is an IDF handicapped. His eldest son, he said, also served in the IDF, as a paratrooper. "We have been watching over this country since its inception, defending it with out bodies. My son could not have done this."
The State asked the court to remand all five defendants pending the conclusion of the legal proceedings, saying that despite the "not guilty" plea, they all confessed their crimes, and Suhaiv Kabha even led the police to the cell's weapon cache.
Judge Ron Shapira granted the prosecution's request and remanded the five to 25 days in custody.
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