Wurud Kassem, an Arab citizen of Israel, was sentenced Monday to six years in prison for her role in a terrorist plot. Kassem, 22, of Tira, admitted under a plea bargain to assisting an enemy in wartime and making contact with a foreign agent.
The panel of three judges who heard the case described the severity of Kassem's crime in their verdict. The plan to conduct a bombing was made all the more serious by Israel's fight for its existence, terrorists' desire to destroy the country completely, and the fact that such bombings murder innocent civilians, they said.
The charges stem from a series of meetings that took place in 2006. Kassem told the court she met with Palestinian Authority terrorist Mohammed Yakoub, a member of the Al Aksa Martyrs Brigades terror cell affiliated with Fatah.
Yakoub asked Kassem if she wanted to “help her homeland,” and she responded in the affirmative. He then asked her if she could smuggle weapons into Israel and scout out sites for a possible bombing attack. Kassem agreed to do so.
During a later meeting, Yakoub asked Kassem to bring a bomb into Israel, but she refused, saying the area was being searched and she would be caught.
Kassem scouted out locations as she had promised Yakoub, and returned with a suggestion that he target the Spaghettim restaurant in Raanana. Her cousin, who worked at the restaurant, offered to help her carry out an attack.
The plot was revealed after Kassem spoke about it to a social worker, who contacted police. Those involved were arrested, and Yakoub was sentenced to 16 years in prison.