Israel\'s Security: Hamas Activists were Trained in Iran

Published July 16th, 2000 - 02:00 GMT
Al Bawaba
Al Bawaba

Israel's Shin Bet security service revealed on Sunday that the arrested Hamas member, Mahmoud Hindi, confessed he had received intensive military training in Iran and at a Hizbollah camp in Lebanon, reported Haaretz newspaper. 

Hindi, from the Khan Yunis refugee camp in the Gaza Strip, was arrested at the Rafah crossing as he returned from Sudan last December. 

Hindi had fled there after a failed attempt to murder settler in 1993, said the paper. 

In his testimony, Hindi allegedly said he and other Hamas members have been on military training in Iran. The training included firing Katyusha rockets, assembling bombs and navigation techniques, the paper said, quoting an official. 

The military prosecutor said a group of Hamas members wanted by the Shin Bet, fled to Sudan and went from there to Iran in mid-1994.  

Training was at a camp one hour's drive from Tehran, under the guidance of Iranian officers and two Hamas instructors. 

According to the indictment, the group was trained for three months in weapons firing, shoulder-fired rockets, and Katyushas. The men were also trained in preparing various explosive devices and were given instruction in field guerrilla tactics, the paper added.  

A year later, Hindi was allegedly sent by a Hamas leader, Imad Alami, to a training camp in Lebanon, according to the Shin Bet.  

He and his friends used an Iranian diplomatic vehicle on their trip from Syria to Lebanon. At a Hizbollah camp near Baalbek they underwent two more months of training, said the paper - Albawaba.com 

© 2000 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)

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