Militant Islam Monitor > Articles > Arabs with Israeli citizenship convicted in plot to blow up Tel Aviv 'Twin Towers'
Arabs with Israeli citizenship convicted in plot to blow up Tel Aviv 'Twin Towers'
October 9, 2005
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Three Arab citizens of the State of Israel were convicted Sunday of plotting to blow up the Azrieli Towers in Tel Aviv, and a plot to plant a bomb on railroad tracks near Netanya.
The Tel Aviv District Court also convicted the Arabs of attempting to provide assistance to a foreign enemy during time of war. One of the Arabs was convicted of contacting a foreign enemy agent.
The three Arabs, Dubian Natzirat, 27; Amir Zivati, 20; and Mugahad Dukan, 19; all from Taibe, admitted their guilt and were convicted under a plea bargain arrangement.
Dukan, the prime suspect in the case, was originally from the Arab camp of Balata, just south of Shechem, the largest Arab-populated city in Judea and Samaria. Dukan received his Israeli citizenship when his parents attained permission to legally immigrate to Israel a number of years ago.
Although the family moved to Taibe, another large Arab-populated city within Israel's pre-1967 borders, Dukan never lost touch with his previous residence.
Balata has been a breeding ground for Arab terrorists over the past four decades. A few months ago, a wanted terrorist from Balata made contact with Dukan and asked him to help plant a bomb inside Israel. Dukan agreed.
Not wanting to waste Dukan's efforts on only one bomb, another wanted terrorist from Judea and Samaria, Ahmed Casey, asked Dukan to help plant three bombs, one of them on the railroad tracks near Netanya.
Casey's first idea was to plant the bomb in one of the cars, but Dukan objected to the idea of becoming a suicide bomber and suggested blowing up the train tracks instead.
A few days later the two met, and Casey explained to Dukan how to attach the bomb to the tracks and set it off. Casey told Dukan he would hand him the bombs at an army roadblock, located on the pre-1967 line, after hiding them in a sack of clothing.
Dukan met his co-conspirators back in his new residence of Taibe, about thirty minutes drive from the Azrieli Towers in Tel Aviv. Ironically, it was Zivati, a life-long Israeli citizen and Taibe resident, that suggested that Dukan use the bombs to blow up the Azrieli towers in Tel Aviv.
The Azrieli Towers, among the tallest buildings in the Middle East, are modern Tel Aviv landmarks. The three modern steel and glass buildings, built around an up-scale shopping mall, are as much icons of the Tel Aviv skyline, as the Twin Towers were in New York.
Natzirat, another co-conspirator from Taibe, agreed to take part in the plan, but only if Dukan agreed to let him have one of the bombs for his own, private terrorist mischief against Israel. Dukan agreed and decided to let Natzirat take one of the bombs into Taibe via tractor.
Impatiently waiting for an okay to get the bombs, Dukan called Casey on October 5, 2004. Casey said the bombs would be ready on the 10th. Dukan was arrested on the 9th and the security forces stopped the attack in its tracks.
The prosecution will ask the court to sentence Dukat to 15 years in jail, and eight years for both Natzirat and Zivati.
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