Hamas terrorist Malik Nazar Yusef Kazmar, born in 1994, originally from the Kalkilye area, was arrested, on 26 February 2017, in a joint Shin Bet/IDF operation on suspicion of having been recruited by the Hamas command abroad and instructed to advance terrorist actions inside the State of Israel.

In his Shin Bet investigation, it was learned that Kazmar, who lived in Turkish Cyprus in recent years, was recruited by Hamas in August 2015 while he was in Jordan. In January 2016, he was sent to a military camp in Syria where he underwent firearms training and was instructed in the manufacture of IEDs.

In January 2017, shortly before his returned to Yehuda and Shomron, Kazmar met in Istanbul with Hamas militants who directed him to recruit additional members inside the State of Israel. Kazmar was arrested upon his return to Yehuda and Shomron before he was able to carry out his instructions

During his investigation, Kazmar handed over a memory card that he had received from his handlers in Turkey and which was loaded with encrypted material including extensive security instructions and information designed to aid him in his mission.

Kazmar was indicted in the Shomron Military Court on 30 March 2017 for a variety of severe security offenses.

The foregoing underscores the activity of Hamas’ overseas headquarters, including on Turkish soil, at the behest of Saleh Arouri, the head of the organizations ‘West Bank Office’.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem/Photo Credit/Shin Bet Spokesman Unit)