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Last update - 20:17 01/03/2009
Israeli Arab charged with spying for Hezbollah
By Eli Ashkenazi, Haaretz Correspondent
Tags: Espionage, Israel News 

An Israeli citizen suspected of being a prospective Hezbollah spy was indicted on Sunday on charges of contact with a foreign agent.

Ismail Saleiman, a 27-year-old man from the Jezreel Valley town of Hajajra, is suspected of being in contact with a Hezbollah operative and planning to spy on Israel for the terror group.

Police and the Shin Bet security service arrested him February 5, but the incident was placed under gag order until Sunday, when Saleiman was indicted in the Nazareth District Court.
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Saleiman's lawyer, Smadar Ben-Natan, said Sunday that her client never had any intention of causing damage to Israel's security.

"The person from Hezbollah initiated contact with him when he was in Mecca and pestered him," she said. "The main story here is how Hezbollah is tripping up Israeli Arabs who travel to sites that are sacred to Islam."

Saleiman had been due to begin collecting information for Hezbollah about military bases in Israel five months after his return to the country, as long as his ties to the group were not exposed by then, according to an arrangement the indictment states Saleiman reached with Abu Qassam.

According to the indictment, Saleiman agreed to work for Hezbollah during a meeting with Abu Qassam in Saudi Arabia, while Saleiman was on pilgrimage to Mecca some six months ago.

The charge sheet states that Abu Qassam came up to Saleiman and his friends and asked them if they were from Israel. The same day, he allegedly arranged a meeting with Saleiman, during which he recruited him after asking about the suspect's religious beliefs, attitude toward the Second Lebanon War and ability to collect information in Israel.

Saleiman is accused of giving Abu Qassam, who said he was a Palestinian living in Lebanon, his phone number and email address, and the two allegedly agreed that they would exchange only seemingly innocent emails.

However, Saleiman did not reply to three emails Abu Qassam sent, initiating contact only in
the wake of the war in Gaza, the indictment states. By the time of Saleiman's arrest, Abu
Qassam had not responded to the email.

Ben-Natan emphasized that Saleiman is charged only with contact with a foreign agent, and
added that the indictment "notes that the agent attempted to initiate contact with [Saleiman] several times, and the accused did not respond."


Related articles:
  • Lebanon arrests man suspected of spying on Hezbollah for Israel
  • Report: Suspected Lebanon spy made frequent visits to Israel
  • IDF court jails Israeli Arab tracker for spying for Hezbollah
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      1.   I Guess He Never Took A Loyalty Pledge! 16:32  |  Baruch Gold 01/03/09
      2.   Hezbollah 16:44  |  baurat 01/03/09
      3.   The story leaves more questions than answers! 16:45  |  Jack 01/03/09
      4.   Publishing accusation issues is wrong, 16:50  |  Sceptic 01/03/09
      5.   spying 17:44  |  hannah 01/03/09
      6.   Sceptic: you are incorrect. All "accusations" are pubished 18:11  |  Richard S 01/03/09
      7.   And still no death penalty for treason? 18:13  |  Arie 01/03/09
      8.   Sceptic: "raw accusations" 18:14  |  Arie 01/03/09
      9.   The fact that he is Arab is irrelevent 19:38  |  This is racism 01/03/09
      10.   how many arbs do spy for Israel in 19:39  |  moh 01/03/09
      11.   Arie # 7 no death penalty here either 21:42  |  American in NY 01/03/09
      12.   Regularly we hear of such cases. Why shouldn`t we demand loyalty? 22:10  |  Jehudah Ben-Israel 01/03/09
      13.   Loyalty Pledge No Guarantee of Loyalty 01:16  |  Baruch Gold 02/03/09
      14.   Baruch Gold # 1 We have same problem over here 03:06  |  American in NY 02/03/09
      15.   Jehudah Ben-Israel # 11 I agree 03:44  |  American in NY 02/03/09
      16.   No muslimes, LOTS less spies 09:43  |  Hymie Zoltsveis 02/03/09
      17.   That is because, Ari 09:48  |  Sceptic 02/03/09
      18.   Hymie Zoltsveis in NYC more dangerous are so called JEWS 12:33  |  Ari ben Yisrael 02/03/09
      19.   to American in NY 13:58  |  Norwegian 02/03/09
      20.   George Habash 16:27  |  As`ad the angry Arab 02/03/09
      21.   Sceptic - when I am good, I am good, but when I am bad 19:07  |  Boris 02/03/09
      22.   How did they catch him??? 04:24  |  david 03/03/09
      23.   Norwegian 5th try 17:30  |  American in NY 03/03/09
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