Report says Gaza exporting terror

JERUSALEM, Aug. 20 (UPI) -- A former Gazan who was in the Islamic Jihad set up a terror network in Morocco aimed at targeting key Moroccan officials and Jews, an intelligence report said.

In June, Moroccan security forces arrested an 11-man terror cell headed by Yahya al-Hindi, also known as Abu Kathada al-Shami, an operative from the Gaza Strip who once was part of the Islamic Jihad and was influenced by al-Qaida ideology, a report released by the Meir Amit Intelligence and Information Center said Friday.

The arrests were further proof of the development of global jihad in Gaza, which is becoming a regional exporter of terrorism, the report said.

The cell planned to carry out attacks against tourist sites and military targets throughout the country and also planned to assassinate key Moroccan officials as well as Jews, the report said.

In 2006, al-Hindi set up a terror network in Gaza called the Unity of Allah and Jihad in the Land of Ribat. The group planned attacks against Israel and claimed responsibility for rocket attacks on southern Israel, the report said.

Al-Hindi left Gaza and reportedly visited Afghanistan, where he underwent military training in Taliban camps, the report said. While there, he joined al-Qaida operatives and maintained contact with them on his return to Gaza, it said.

In May, he entered Morocco on the pretext that he was engaged to marry a Moroccan girl, the report said. It said he had made four previous attempts to enter the country.

His real objective was to establish a terror network, which was exposed by Moroccan authorities in June, the report said.