Author: Efrat Weiss
Publication: YnetNews
Date: April 10, 2008
URL: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3530201,00.html
Two Palestinian employees detained mere days
before they planned to lace food at Ramat Gan grill bar with tasteless, odorless
toxin
The thwarting of an alarming terror plot was
cleared for publication on Thursday, almost three weeks after a joint Shin
Bet and police operation led to the arrest of two Palestinian employees of
the 'Grill Express' restaurant in Ramat Gan.
The men, Eihab Abu Rial and Anas Salum, both
21-year-old residents of the West Bank city of Nablus, had planned to lace
dishes served at the establishment with a powerful toxin without odor or taste,
in the hopes of killing as many patrons as possible.
The two did not have working permits and were
residing in Israel illegally. While in Nablus, they had been recruited to
the al-Aqsa Martyr's Bridges, the military wing of Fatah, under the guidance
and funding of Hizbullah.
The men were arrested by police investigators
following information obtained by the Shin Bet, several short days before
they planned to carry out the attack.
Toxin was to come from West Bank
In their questioning the men told interrogators
they were to receive the poison from two operatives in the Balata refugee
camp in Nablus - Husseini Salag and Hani Quabi - who are still wanted by security
forces.
The white substance is virtually undetectable
and affects its victims approximately four hours after being ingested.
Salag, they said, also sought to use them
to bring a suicide bomber across the border.
Defense officials say they are concerned Quabi
continues to seek the means to carry out an attack in Israel using illegal
Palestinian residents.
A similar incident occurred five and a half
years ago in Jerusalem. At the time, three Arab residents of east Jerusalem
were arrested before their plan to poison Israeli patrons at the Rimon Café
in central Jerusalem could be realized. The three had also planned to carry
out a suicide bombing during a right-wing demonstration. The cell had been
found to operating under Hamas.
Some four years ago a Fatah cell was arrested
in Qalqiliya, the group had been planning to detonate an explosive device
encased in HIV-infected blood in a crowded Tel Aviv area.