Terrorists planned explosion of hotel in Eilat

Cleared for publication: Southern District Attorney's Office filed today (Thursday), at the District Court in Beersheva two indictments against Khalil Nimri and Ashraf Salaimah, Israeli Jerusalem residents who worked and lived in Eilat and planned to plant explosives in a hotel in Eilat.

The attack was foiled due to the vigilance of the hotel staff who reported to the management and security personnel.

The indictment charges the defendants with committing an offense of conspiracy to aid the enemy in wartime.

According to the facts of the charges filed through Attorney Meital Olek-Amouyal of the Southern District Prosecutor's Criminal Office, the defendants met each other as part of their joint work in an Eilat hotel. Two months ago, they met at the home of one of the defendants and on that occasion they both reached the decision to attack Jews because they are Jews out of a desire to avenge the State of Israel, in view of the current wave of terror.

One of the defendants sought to avenge the death of his childhood friend Faddy Elon, who was killed on 4/10/15 during a stabbing attack in Jerusalem, and Ashraf also felt the need to avenge the State of Israel and carry out a terrorist attack against the background of the security situation.

The indictment also indicates that the defendant Khalil first proposed that they carry out a stabbing attack and murder a religious Jew. Ashraf refused on the grounds in that this type of attack they may be caught then there will be no meaning to their action. He therefore suggested that the attack will be by planting a bomb in a hotel in Eilat. Khalil agreed and thereby they conspired to perpetrate the attack as stated.

Within the conspiracy, the defendants committed various measures to promote this, including observations on the hotel from outside and following a religious group who were staying there, one of the defendants even came through the Internet to videos on how to prepare an explosive device. Also, Ashraf arrived at the hotel on 30/11/15 for preliminary data collection and preparation for the execution of the attack. He presented a misrepresentation according to which he would like to rent a hotel room for a while, and for this reason he asked to see the different rooms of the hotel, and showed interest among others in the room located below the dining room, thinking to plant the bomb there. Ashraf asked the desk clerk and housekeeper many questions which aroused their suspicions, including how many entrances there are to the hotel, hotel occupancy, whether a group of religious people is expected to arrive in the hotel etc. Ashraf then left the hotel.

The alertness of the receptionist and housekeeper, who reported the hotel management and security staff, eventually led to the arrest of Khalil and later to the arrest of Ashraf, thus thwarting a malicious plan, and saving the lives of many innocent people.

'בחדרי' גם ברשתות החברתיות - הצטרפו!