B’chasdei Hashem the ISA (Israel Security Agency – Shin Bet) has uncovered an al-Qaeda terror cell operating in the eastern area of Yerushalayim. The cell enlisted Israeli Arab citizens into its terrorist activities, planning “quality targets” that include the United States Embassy in Tel Aviv, the Jerusalem Convention Center (Binyanei Ha’uma) and buses in the area of the convention center.

Walla News correspondent Meir Abutbut explains that senior al-Qaeda officials have a hand in the cell which involves eastern Jerusalem Arab residents that have Israeli identity cards.

Some of the planned attacks include;

1. A terrorist was to enter the US Embassy with a forged passport and then detonate a bomb belt.

2. A terrorist was to blow up a bomb in the Jerusalem Convention Center. As the emergency medical services and police respond, a secondary bomb which would be contained in a dump truck would be detonated to kill responders.

3. The third attack involved shooting out the tires of a bus between Jerusalem and Maale Adumim to cause the bus to flip over.

The eastern Jerusalem operatives were in contact with an al-Qaeda operative in Gaza via the internet, identifying him as Ariv al-Sham. Al-Sham received his orders directory from senior al-Qaeda commander Ayman al-Zawahri.

Al-Sham used Skype and Facebook to pull in recruits, including Khalil Abu Sara, 23, from the eastern capital. He was taken into custody in December 2013. He admitted that he was to have carried out the attack against the bus between Yerushalayim and Maale Adumim. He explained after the bus overturned he would open fire at the fleeing passengers from close range, well aware he was going to sacrifice himself in the act.

Another suspect, Rubin Abu-Nagma confessed to conspiring to abduct an IDF soldier from the Jerusalem Central Bus Station. In addition, he was to bomb a residential building in the capital.

And a third suspect, Ala Anam confessed to being in contact with his Gaza superior as they planned additional attacks in the Shomron.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)