The Central Court in Tel Aviv convicted on Sunday a resident of Kufur Qasem, north of Israel, of planning to abduct Israeli soldiers.
The Israeli prosecution claimed that Lenin Al Toury, 24, was recruited to Hamas by his cousin, Asad Mohammad Taha, a resident of the Gaza Strip. Taha is a member of Hamas and a double agent for the Shin Bet (Israel Security Service).
Taha asked Al Toury to abduct Israeli soldiers and to hand them over to Hamas members in Hebron or Ramallah in exchange for payment.
The Israeli online daily The Jerusalem Post reported that it was decided initially to deliver the payment to Al Toury by transferring the funds into his bank account, but the bank transaction was deemed too risky.
Taha directed Al Toury to a man who would pay him 2000 NIS in cash, the Jpost reported.
The indictment reads that Al Toury carried out these actions knowingly and associated with a foreign agent with the intent to harm the Israeli security, and that this action reveals that intend to aid an enemy “in his war against Israel”.
Also, Al Toury was convicted of aiding in manslaughter, in addition to criminal weapons charges, the Jpost added.
The criminal charges are related to planning in 2003 to murder Rafi Cohen, a resident of Al Ramleh, due to a disagreement over money.
The sentencing against Al Toury has been postponed until a later date.
