Hamas terrorists, with funds from Saudi Arabia, plotted a missile attack on a soccer game at Jerusalem’s Teddy Stadium, Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) officials disclosed Sunday.
Officials said they arrested two Jerusalem Arabs who carried out surveillance from a hill overlooking the stadium in order to find the best place to launch rocket attacks on the packed stadium, home of the Beitar soccer team.
The plot began following Israel’s counterterrorist Operation Cast Lead operation two years ago. The terrorists were identified as Muslim Brotherhood members Moussa Hamda Matzour and Bassam Omri, who bought several revolvers and attempted to buy weapons and ammunition. Officials also arrested relatives of Matzour who were involved in the purchase of the guns.
Security officials said Matzour travelled to Saudi Arabia several times to meet Muslim Brotherhood members. At one meeting, a Saudi official gave him money to buy weapons in return for gathering intelligence information on several locations in Jerusalem.
The investigation also revealed Hamas involvement on the Temple Mount, including funding of maintenance work, bringing school children to the site and subsidizing other activities. Palestinian Authority leaders have joined Arab world attempts over the past several years to claim that the holy site, where the First and Second Temples stood, have no connection with Judaism.
The Temple Mount is the holiest site in the Jewish world.