Another Terror Attack Thwarted

The Jerusalem District Court has convicted three Arab residents of Jerusalem of conspiring to carry out a terror attack.

Arab residents of Jerusalem Anas Awisat, Basel Abidat and Ahmed Sorour were arrested last month following a joint operation by the Shin Bet and the Israel police.

The three had been planning on posing as guests at a wedding hall by dressing up as Hareidi Jews, and once inside planned on massacring the guests.

Anas Awisat had worked at the Nof event hall in the Bayit Vegan neighborhood of Jerusalem in the past and felt the large capacity of the hall would enable him to massacre large number of Israelis at once

The group contacted a Palestinian Arab arms dealer, who sold them two machine guns and an Uzi.

Hamas has encouraged Palestinians to disguise themselves as Orthodox Jews to carry out suicide attacks on Israeli civilians.

A widely seen Hamas video shows a terrorist dressing up in a black hat, black coat, and tzitzit before arming himself with explosives.  This tactic has been used successfully in the past.   In June 11, 2003,  Sixteen people were killed and more than 80 wounded when a Hamas suicide bomber bomber, disguised as an ultra-orthodox Jew. blew up a Jerusalem city bus.