(Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center) Information found in files on laptops seized from the Mavi Marmara and other sources proves that the violence employed against the IDF on board the ship was not spontaneous but rather a premeditated operation, organized beforehand and implemented by a hard core of 40 violent operatives who were on board specifically for that purpose. The 40 IHH operatives joined the ship in Istanbul without a security check. They were commanded by IHH leader Bulent Yildirim, who instructed them to use violence. While most of the passengers boarded in Antalya, the passengers who boarded in Istanbul brought equipment in preparation for the confrontation with the IDF, including gas masks, ceramic vests, wooden clubs, slingshots, ball bearings, and equipment for improvising weapons (metal cutting disks for cutting iron bars and chains).
2010-06-15 10:42:02Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive