A 20-man terrorist gang was uncovered by Israeli security forces in Ramle and Lod three months ago, a police spokesman disclosed today. Announcement of the arrests was barred by a court order until now but the restrictions were lifted as the suspects are about to go on trial.
According to police, the terrorist cell, operating within Israel, planned large scale sabotage operations throughout the country. Quantities of sabotage material and explosives were found when the gang was apprehended, The police said the cell was part of El Fatah, the main terrorist arm of the Palestine Liberation Organization. They learned of it while investigating the murder of an Arab money-changer in the Old City of Jerusalem two yearn ago.
Four men were sentenced for the murder but a fifth escaped and was later reported hiding in Ramle. His arrest several months ago led police to the El Fatah cell of which he was a member.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
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.
