An Israeli military court today sentenced to death an Egyptian member of a suicide squad which had infiltrated Israel and attacked Israeli troops. The verdict must be reviewed by the Army’s Chief of Staff, Maj. Gen. Moshe Dayan.
The defendant, 20-year-old Mustapha Atie Abu Arakat, in a statement just before he was sentenced, said he was sorry for what he had done and asked the court’s mercy.
The chief witness against the Arab was an Israeli soldier who had been wounded when his three-man patrol found and attempted to arrest Arakat and a companion. The two Arabs fired on the patrol. The patrol replied, killing the second Arab and wounding Arakat.
In an unsuccessful attempt to flee, Arakat threw a hand grenade at the patrol, but the exploding fragments missed everyone. When he was captured, he was found to have a machine gun and dynamite in his possession.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
