(Ha'aretz) Amos Harel - Spiritual leader of the Hamas movement Sheikh Ahmed Yassin was personally involved in an attempt to supply arms to a unit of Hamas' military wing, according to an indictment filed in Gaza military court. Mahmoud al-Ayish, 27, a Hamas activist from Rafah who was arrested in August, confessed to the Shin Bet security service that he had met Yassin twice at his home and asked him to provide his cell with arms. Yassin referred him to other Hamas activists who could arm his unit. In public pronouncements, Yassin expresses explicit support for attacks against Israelis, including suicide bombings, but he is careful not to give the impression that he is personally involved and knows of attacks in advance. However, there is one known instance when Yassin's bodyguards gave lessons in the use of weapons to Hamas military activists who later participated in attacks on the Israel Defense Forces in the Gaza Strip.
2002-10-18 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive