Three Men From Hamas Terror Cell Arrested for Plot to Bomb Major Jerusalem Sports Stadium
by Benjamin Kerstein


Teddy Stadium in Jerusalem. Photo: Dindia via Wikimedia Commons.
Israel’s Shin Bet domestic security agency has arrested three terrorists who were planning a bomb attack at Jerusalem’s main sports stadium, the Israeli news site Walla reported on Wednesday.
The three suspects were identified as West Bank residents Ahmad Sajdaya, 27, whose hand was amputated several years ago while building an explosive device; Muhammad Hammad, 26; and Umar Eid, 24, who holds an Israeli identity card.
The three men have Hamas connections and were active in a Hamas-linked student group at Bir Zeit University in the West Bank.
In preparation for the attack, the three were attempting to build explosives by following instructions found on the internet, and had purchased chemicals, nails and tools in order to do so.
Eid reportedly visited Teddy Stadium in Jerusalem to examine its security arrangements.
The three men were arrested before they were able to successfully build any explosive device.
Funding for the attack came from a student activist who served as a liaison between the terror cell and Hamas.
The arrests, the Shin Bet said, “prevented a major attack on Israeli civilians and soldiers, and is part of a series of interdicted terrorist cells that have sprung up among the activists at this university in recent months.”
The agency said the incident shows “the danger and high motivation of the terrorist infrastructure operating in the West Bank to carry out significant attacks.”
Watch a video of the arrest operation below (via the IDF’s Hebrew-language Twitter account):
בהמשך להודעת שב”כ, בתום פעילות מודיעינית ומבצעית משותפת של צה”ל, שב”כ ומשטרת ישראל, נעצרה תשתית טרור של חמאס אשר תכננה פיגועים בעיר ירושלים, בין השאר באצטדיון טדי, וכן נגד כוחות צה”ל באזור העיר רמאללה ובמרחב החטיבה המרחבית “בנימין” pic.twitter.com/6k5Up3iDDX
— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) April 22, 2020