Last update - 00:00 18/10/2007
Driver of suicide bomber in 2005 Tel Aviv attack gets 5 life terms
By Roni Singer-Heruti, Haaretz Correspondent and Haaretz Staff
The Tel Aviv District Court sentenced on Thursday a suicide bomber's driver to five consecutive life terms and an additional 20 years in prison for his role in the deaths of five people in a 2005 Tel Aviv attack.
Ashraf Keisi, an Israeli citizen, was convicted in July of five counts of murder and one count of attempted murder for driving Abdullah Badran to the Stage nightclub on the Tel Aviv beachfront promenade, where he blew himself up, killing five people and injuring 50.
Keisi was also convicted of aiding an enemy during wartime, supporting a terror organization, causing mental anguish and other offenses.
Twenty-eight-year-old Keisi, from Baka al-Garbiyeh, drove Badran in February 2005 to the club, where he blew himself up at the entrance. In the ensuing investigation, Keisi admitted that he had been in contact with Islamic Jihad militants in order to help choose the location of the attack.
Despite the admission, Keisi tried to claim during his trial that he had no prior knowledge of Badran's plan to carry out a suicide attack, but the judges rejected the claim.
Judge Saviona Rothlevy, who stood at the head of the panel that heard the case, wrote in the verdict that she rejected the "version of the accused, and especially his claim that he did not know ahead of time that he was bringing the suicide bomber to an attack and that the intention of the latter to carry out an attack came as a surprise to him during the drive."
"I also reject the claim of the accused that he had regrets during the drive but could not act on them because of the suicide bomber's threats. We know from his mouth that he called an involved party the day after the attack in order to claim his money," the verdict continued.
Keisi picked up Badran at Kfar Jat in the heavily Arab-populated "triangle" region, which borders the West Bank. From there, they drove through Herzliya to Tel Aviv, getting through a police checkpoint with the help of the Israeli license plates on Keisi's car.
Before the suicide bomber alighted, they agreed Keisi would wait about half an hour until the bomb was detonated, so that he could return to Baka al-Garbiyeh before police had the time to erect checkpoints and make his drive riskier.
Earlier, Keisi had recommended that Islamic Jihad militants not send a suicide bomber to Netanya, explaining that there was little chance that many people would be outside in the cold to serve as targets.
When Hadera was raised as a potential site for attack, Kasey refused. He had lived there until the age of 14, and much of his family remained in the area. Eventually, the Tel Aviv beachfront promenade was chosen.
Kasey received $5,000 for his role in the attack. He was supposed to receive another $14,000, but it was never paid to him.