A gag order was lifted today permitting the publication of the planned Hamas terrorist attacks by Jamal Akal, 23, from Nutzeirat in Gaza, just south of Netzarim. He was taken into Israeli custody five weeks ago. Akal was living in Canada for several years and holds Canadian citizenship.

Security officials report that he arrived in Gaza recently for what he reported was a family visit. It was learned, however, that he was finalizing plans to assassinate a senior Israeli official visiting the United States, as well as perpetrate other attacks.

Akal admitted to his interrogators that after arriving in Gaza, he met with Ahmed Wahabe, a senior Hamas terrorist from Nutzeirat, who asked him if he could assist Hamas in Canada. After Akal agreed, Wahabe instructed him to gather information via the media on any senior Israeli official who might be arriving in the U.S., and to learn as much about his itinerary as possible.

Wahabe also asked Akal to attack members of the U.S. and Canadian Jewish communities, either by shooting or by bombing their homes and/or cars. “New York is an easy place to find Jews,” Wahabe said, and advised him to train with an M-16 rifle.

Wahabe also told Akal to contact people in the mosques in which he prayed in Canada, and raise funds, ostensibly for the families of suicide bombers. In actuality, however, the funds would be used for purchasing a weapon and financing his expenses in monitoring his prospective targets and in perpetrating the attacks.

Three days before Akal was due to return to Canada, Wahabe contacted him again, taught him how to use an M-16, and practiced with him near Netzarim. Wahabe also gave Akal theoretical and practical instruction in making bombs.

A high-level emergency terrorist alert was declared this morning in the Petach Tikvah/Rosh HaAyin area in central Israel, but was gradually diminished. Police believe that the terrorist or terrorists who were reportedly on their way into a Sharon-area city to perpetrate an attack have backtracked because of the high police deployment. Traffic on several highways was brought to a near-standstill, and at least one east-west road was totally closed. The police and security forces deal with some 30-40 terrorist warnings each day.

This entry was posted on Monday, December 8th, 2003 and is filed under hotnews.