Israel’s security forces recently uncovered an ultra-religious Moslem Brotherhood cell which planned to assassinate Bashir Bargouti, leader of Communists on the West Bank, officials reported today. They said the cell also planned to stab a Jew after prayer at the Western Wall. The main suspect resides in a village near Jerusalem.
The security forces also pressed charges against members of a cell of the Marxist terrorist organization, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.
The terrorists are charged with tracking leaders in East Jerusalem considered to be supporters of Jordan’s King Hussein, including Anwar el Hatib, governor of Jerusalem during the Jordanian occupation; former Jordanian Defense Minister Anwar Nusseibeh; and Mahmoud Abu-Zuluf, editor of the East Jerusalem daily, Al-Kuds.
Defense Minister Ariel Sharon said yesterday in his first appearance in his new post before the Knesset that the Jordanians recently prevented attempts by terrorist groups to renew attacks on Israel from Jordanian territory.
Sharon also reported that terrorist organizations in Lebanon have renewed efforts for hostile actions against Israel by building fortifications and hoarding weapons “in a way which indicated that the terrorists interpreted the agreement for a cease-fire” in a way “contrary to the agreement with the governments of the United States and Lebanon.”
Sharon said that while there has been no direct action against Israel, there has been intermittent action against the Christian militia forces in south Lebanon commanded by Maj. Saad Had-dad, also in violation of the cease-fire agreement.
NEW ATTACKS PLANNED IN EUROPE
It was disclosed that Israel has notified European governments that the terrorist groups are planning a new wave of attacks against Israeli agencies and installations in European countries. The governments were asked to intensify security at their airports and at land border points to bar Palestinian terrorists.
Initial investigations of attacks on Israeli diplomatic missions in Athens and Vienna and at the El Al office in Rome Sunday indicated the incidents were a coordinated attack. Israel told the European governments that it believed the terrorists responsible for those attacks were still in Europe.
In Athens two bombs exploded outside the Israel mission yesterday, causing minor damage and no injuries. An Israeli spokesman said the Palestine Liberation Organization had claimed responsibility in telephone calls for the Athens incident. Two bombs exploded yesterday in a garden adjacent to the Israel Embassy in Vienna. One woman was slightly injured by flying glass.
The Popular Front claimed responsibility for a gun and bomb attack July 22 on a Greek shipping and travel agency office in Athens in which two persons were killed and 70 hurt. The Popular Front claimed the Greek agency was a front for Israeli intelligence and had been involved in the killing of a Popular Front member.
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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.
