(Communicated by the IDF-ISA)
The three men responsible for the September 26, 2010 terrorist attack in which a pregnant woman and her husband were injured, were arrested in a joint IDF-ISA operation in early October. The three admitted to planning and executing the shooting attack, which took place near Teneh Omarim (southern Hebron Mountain area), as well as planning additional attacks and actively recruiting for the extremist 'Abu Musa' terrorist organization. Large quantities of munitions were confiscated during the arrest operation.
The terror cell members:
- Nabil Halil Hareb, born in 1964
- Sameh Salem Saruh, born in 1977
- Mahmad Nasrallah, born in 1971
All three members are residents of Daharia.
The head of the cell, Nabil Hareb, whose family immigrated to Jordan when he was a child, was recruited in 1979 (at the age of 15) by Fatah, and underwent military training in Lebanon. He returned to the Palestinian territories in 1999. In 2008, Hareb left for Jordan where he was recruited by a member of the Abu Musa wing named Eid Maeit, originally from Daharia, who has been residing in Jordan for the past 20 years. Hareb was sent to military training in Syria and tasked by his commander in Jordan to execute an attack, and received $25,000 to purchase ammunition.
Hareb then approached Sameh Saruh and recruited him to Abu Musa, and informed him of the plans. In July 2010 Saruh journeyed to Jordan to meet with Eid Maeit, who then gave him the green light for the attack. Saruh purchased large quantities of ammunition, and recruited Mahmad Nasrallah to their cell. The two purchased a vehicle, and did preliminary reconnaissance in the area of the attack.
On September 26, 2010, Hareb drove around the area of the attack to ensure there was no unusual IDF presence. After he updated Saruh and Nasrallah, they proceeded to execute the attack. While Nasrallah drove, Saruh fired at Israeli vehicles.
During their questioning, the men admitted that they had planned additional attacks. Specifically they had begun following an Israeli civilian who frequents Daharia. Initially they had planned to kidnap him, until they had decided in favor of a shooting attack. Their questioning also led Israeli forces to their munitions cache, which included two M-16 assault rifles (one of which was used in the September attack), M-16 magazines and bullets, a pistol and silencer, a LAW (Light Anti-Tank Weapon) rocket, an improvised TNT explosive device, night vision weapons equipment, and various other ammunition.
Legal proceedings against the three men have commenced at the Ofer Military Court.