Subscribe to Print Edition | Sun., April 13, 2008 Nisan 8, 5768 | | Israel Time: 12:50 (EST+7)
Haaretz israel news English
web haaretz.com
  Back to Homepage
Rosner's Domain
Diplomacy
Defense Jewish World Opinion National
Print Edition
Advertising
Books Arts & Leisure Business Real Estate Easy Start Travel Week's End Anglo File
Comments:  109
Last update - 08:06 11/04/2008
2 Palestinians arrested for plot to poison Ramat Gan diners
By Yuval Azoulay, Haaretz Correspondent
Tags: Israel, Poison, Hezbollah 

Two Palestinians from the West Bank city of Nablus were arrested last month for planning to poison diners at the Ramat Gan restaurant that employed them, according to details revealed Thursday after a gag order was lifted.

Ahmed Abu-Riyal and Mustafa Salum, both 21, were arrested only days before they could execute the plot.

A tip-off led the Shin Bet security service and Tel Aviv police to the pair of Nablus residents, who were staying in Israel illegally and working at Ramat Gan's Grill Express.
Advertisement
Under interrogation, the pair admitted planning the attack after being recruited by an Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade cell that received funding and instructions from Hezbollah.

The cell was led by two wanted militants, Hani Kabi and Husni Tsalag.

The Nablus pair were slated to receive a white, flavorless, odorless poison from Kabi and Tsalag. They planned to put the poison in meals served at the Grill Express.

The investigation revealed that the poison was supposed to take effect about four hours after ingestion, during which window of time the pair planned to kill as many restaurant-goers as possible.

Poisoning diners at restaurants or cafes is considered a "strategic attack" and the police are greatly concerned by the possibility. In the past, terror organizations have tried a number of times to recruit Palestinian cooks and waiters to poison food at Israeli restaurants.

The police note that the plan is a relatively easy means of carrying out an attack, as there is no need to smuggle sophisticated weapons into Israel and restaurant employees have free access to the attack site.

Nonetheless, the method has not been widely used. In one instance in 2002, a poisoning attempt at Jerusalem's Rimon Cafe was thwarted and the cafe's chef was convicted of collaboration in an attempted poisoning.

The judges were unsure if he was working for Hamas or on his own. Two accomplices were also convicted under a plea bargain.

During their interrogation, the Nablus pair also confessed that the wanted militants leading the cell had examined the possibility of using them to infiltrate a suicide bomber deep into Israel.

Defense sources said that this terror cell -which is still operating in Nablus and receiving instructions and money from Hezbollah in South Lebanon - is striving to carry out a variety of attacks, and they may attempt to enlist the help of other Palestinians living and working illegally in Israel.

Related articles:
  • Policy at Gaza crossings won't change following terror attack
  • 12 Palestinian prisoners wanted by Israel break out of Nablus jail
  • IDF withdraws from Nablus after 3-day operation in W. Bank city
    • Bookmark to del.icio.us  
     
    'No good Jewish men'
    Author David Seidman delves into the dark side of dating, and confesses: 'I am a bad Jew.'
    Remembrance trail
    Holocaust memorial steam-drawn train sparks bitter row in Berlin.
      1.   durson,dutch,click & Co will find justification even for arrested 16:10  |  Vittorio 10/04/08
      2.   war at all levels 16:10  |  silvio brienza 10/04/08
      3.   And barak has just granted extra 11000 work permits to pal poison 16:18  |  Absolute Sweden 10/04/08
      4.   Which restauran, which poison - where is the info? 16:18  |  greta 10/04/08
      5.   unprecedented attack? 16:24  |  avi 10/04/08
      6.   working permet 16:25  |  franck_m 10/04/08
      7.   what the heck 16:37  |  joshua 10/04/08
      8.   The Rabbis Say Don`t EmployThem 16:46  |  Yishai Kohen 10/04/08
      9.   Even if the gov`t is stupid enough... 16:48  |  JonathanInTelAviv 10/04/08
      10.   Funny that all these arrests etc are being publicised just when 16:58  |  lakshmi 10/04/08
      11.   fine the employers 17:17  |  jehiel chaleff 10/04/08
      12.   terrosrist want you to stop emloying arabs, must you oblige them? 17:17  |  arthur 10/04/08
      13.   Yes, and the Jewish doctors wanted to poison 17:18  |  Andreas 10/04/08
      14.   lakshmi 17:24  |  arthur 10/04/08
      15.   What a load of rubbish!! 17:27  |  Silvienne 10/04/08
      16.   Lakshmi - Funny that 17:29  |  Elihu 10/04/08
      17.   Arab cooks in Baraks Kitchen 17:29  |  Zev 10/04/08
      18.   #4 Greta - Ramat Gan 17:29  |  * BEN JABO 10/04/08
      19.   Congratulations .. Now we will have to be more careful .. 17:30  |  SA 10/04/08
      20.   #10 lakshmi - it`s not funny at all 17:36  |  * BEN JABO 10/04/08
      21.   Demented Dutch now has a Carbon copy of herself 17:39  |  * BEN JABO 10/04/08
      22.   #15 BORING - Must Have been vaccinated with Dutch`s needle 17:46  |  * BEN JABO 10/04/08
      23.   The Lifting of "gag orders"..! 17:48  |  Stephen. 10/04/08
      24.   Food tasters required 17:50  |  * BEN JABO 10/04/08
      25.   to Absolute Sweden # 3 17:51  |  dovale 10/04/08
      26.   People shoul`d boycot this establishment until it gets out of 17:53  |  Realist, not Racist 10/04/08
      27.   #15 If yiou won`t make the trip 18:06  |  * BEN JABO 10/04/08
      28.   @BEN JABO: Read slooowly, kid...! 18:23  |  greta 10/04/08
      29.   arabs kill civilians on purpose lakshmi 18:24  |  andy 10/04/08
      30.   silvienne you`re such a caring soul - I don`t think 18:24  |  x-ray 10/04/08
      31.   lakshmi and friends: and pals don`t send kassams either! 18:31  |  arthur 10/04/08
      32.   if at first you dont succeed try try again 18:36  |  resistence 10/04/08
      33.   #15, No Silvienne, you are rubbish!!! 18:36  |  DR 10/04/08
      34.   no surprise here 18:41  |  alan 10/04/08
      35.   #28 Greta - I read slowly and couldn`t read what wasn`t there 18:46  |  * BEN JABO 10/04/08
      36.   #15 I am really surprised that terrorists 18:49  |  * BEN JABO 10/04/08
      37.   Dovale- wake up and smell the Humus 18:59  |  Elihu 10/04/08
      38.   Silvienne,31 arthur,ben jay &assorted zionists,oh yes my friend 19:53  |  lakshmi 10/04/08
      39.   greta open your eyes and learn how to read 19:53  |  don 10/04/08
      40.   To Elihu #3 19:56  |  dovale 10/04/08
      41.   #39 | @troubled Don kid in troubled Toronto 20:13  |  greta 10/04/08
      42.   #15 Silvienne, this is not your style 20:32  |  Franco 10/04/08
      43.   palestinian supporters....don`t wait till these palestinians 20:59  |  mmm 10/04/08
      44.   yakoav sullivan might say: that`s nothing 21:02  |  nsm 10/04/08
      45.   #42, Franco.... 21:05  |  Silvenne 10/04/08
      46.   Dovale -With resoect, you missed my point 21:22  |  Elihu 10/04/08
      47.   Arab workers 21:31  |  Naomi 10/04/08
      48.   I`d eat at a restaurant 21:43  |  David K 10/04/08
      49.   Give the pals jobs so they do not whine 21:51  |  KUTW 10/04/08
      50.   Lakshmi - repeating doesn`t make it correct 22:09  |  Elihu 10/04/08
      51.   TO #4 - you have to read the whole thing 22:19  |  Ari 10/04/08
      52.   5. avi: unprecedented attack? 22:22  |  KUTW 10/04/08
      53.   Of course Lakshmi#10 22:32  |  William 10/04/08
      54.   Palestinians at their best, yet again... 22:33  |  jj 10/04/08
      55.   I suppose, "resistence", you must be referring to spelling 22:36  |  jj 10/04/08
      56.   LAKSHMI AND INTERNAL ORGANS 22:41  |  Brant 10/04/08
      57.   Not different from Arab hatred 22:45  |  William 10/04/08
      58.   Dovale,why don`t you volunteer to deliver gasoline to Gaza,enough 23:01  |  Absolute Sweden 10/04/08
      59.   # 10 lakshmi...Hamas always ups the ante 23:12  |  Lynn 10/04/08
      60.   Nemesis 23:12  |  Nemesis 10/04/08
      61.   #41 Greta, I for one, aren`t troubled 23:32  |  * BEN JABO 10/04/08
      62.   Apparently some of their poison did get through and affected some 23:39  |  common sense 10/04/08
      63.   #42 Franco - Italy 23:42  |  * BEN JABO 10/04/08
      64.   Greta and Lak Want US Poisoned 23:57  |  Dave Levy 10/04/08
      65.   #42, Franco...thanks for your post... 00:06  |  Silvienne 11/04/08
      66.   40 Dovale, calm down. "His racist hate...? " 00:06  |  bat yam 11/04/08
      67.   Poison Plot 00:09  |  Douglas Fireman 11/04/08
      68.   #33, DR...well, looky here! 00:09  |  Silvienne 11/04/08
      69.   #33, DR...well, looky here! 00:09  |  Silvienne 11/04/08
      70.   No more work permits! 00:31  |  VIVA ISRAELE! 11/04/08
      71.   Gazan`s are unhappy 01:10