(Jerusalem Post) Steven Emerson - On July 20, Hamas terrorists fired an anti-tank missile at an Israeli APC in Gaza, killing seven soldiers. Half a dozen Hamas terrorists converged on the burning vehicle and took parts of the body of St.-Sgt. Oron Shaul. Hamas claimed it had kidnapped Shaul and hacked into his Facebook page. Israel made an urgent appeal to the FBI for help in determining the remote source that hacked into the Facebook page. On July 21, the FBI issued a "preservation letter" to Facebook ordering them to preserve all data saved on their server pertaining to Shaul's account. But on July 22, the FBI told the U.S. Attorney's Office: "I regret to inform you we have been denied approval to move forward with the legal process." Thus, the FBI was never able to supply Israel with any information on Shaul's Facebook account that might have led to the location of the soldier or his remains. Law enforcement officials knowledgeable about this incident say both prosecutors and the FBI were shocked at the turn of events. The writer is executive director of the Investigative Project on Terrorism.
2014-10-17 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive