KAFR KANNA, Israel, Jan. 5 (UPI) -- Two Arab-Israeli brothers have been charged with planning terrorist attacks on both sides of the 1967 border, Israeli intelligence officials said.
Amir Asaad, 29, and Mahmad Asaad, 20, both of Kafr Kanna, face charges of contact with a foreign agent, weapons possession, and aiding and abetting an enemy at wartime, Ynetnews.com reported Thursday.
The two were arrested in December by Israeli intelligence group Shin Bet after joining the ranks of Hamas.
"The arrest of those involved has led to the thwarting of their activities before they managed to carry out their plans, but the incident demonstrates the potential threat of exploiting Arab-Israelis and recruiting them to terror initiatives and as inter-regional middlemen for terror cells," Shin Bet said in a statement.
Several Hamas operatives in contact with the Asaads were also arrested. They handed over weapons they admitted were going to be used in shooting attacks on settlers, military vehicles and soldiers, the report said.
