The Israel military court trying 15 youths charged with membership in an underground terrorist organization this week-end ajourned the trial for a week to give the defense attorneys an opportunity to prepare their case.
Before the adjournment Chaim Cohen, Attorney General of Israel and chief prosecutor at the trial, charged that one of the defendants. Yaacov Heruti, had placed the explosive charge which blasted the Soviet legation in Tel Avivearlier this year and led to the USSR breaking off diplomatic relations with Israel.
The charge was made on the second day of the trial after the court had decided to continue without the presence of the seven leading defendants because they interfered with the proceedings by singing fighting songs and shouting anti-government slogans. The seven, who refuse to recognize the authority of a military court, will be tried in absentia.
After the indictment was read to the remaining defendants, all aged about 17, three — Zila Maguiri Cohen, Yehoshofat Givon and Eliashu Meliov — admitted membership in the group. They were then released on bail pending sentencing.
The indictment charged all 15 with being members of an illegal underground organization and five of the leaders with membership, taking an active part in a terrorist organization, acting as instructors in such an organization, and attending meetings of such a group. Each count makes the defendants liable to additional punishment. The five facing the four charges are: Heruti, Shimon Bachar, Yaacov Blumenthal, Zeev Badian and Yaffa Dromi, 24-year-old girl who had once been a Sternist radio announcer.
Attorney General Cohen, presenting the government case, said he had reason to believe that Heruti, son of the president of the Supreme Military Court, had attempted to persuade Givon to place the charge at the Soviet legation but, when the younger lad refused, planted the bomb himself. He also attributed to the gang an attempt to burn the Russian Miniter’s car, the throwing of a hand grenade into the Czechoslovakian legation, and the burning of Communist clubs and butcher shops which sold non-Kosher meat.
In addition, the prosecutor charged that Heruti while serving in the military police stole secret documents whose revelation would endanger Israel’s security and also stole a military police identification card which gave him entry to military installations. As exhibits, he offered 14 pistols, two tommyguns, two machine guns, a quantity of hand grenades and a quantity of other explosives seized at the gang’s caches.
Cohen charged in his specifications that the gang was organized into cells of two and three persons and that Heruti had been responsible for recruiting activities, Badian swore in newcomers with a pistol and a Bible and Miss Dromi delivered lectures to the membership on Jewish history and “the Kingdom of Israel.”
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