Northern Leader of Islamic Movement in Israel Sentenced for Supporting Terror
By Matthew Levitt
Earlier today the Haifa Magistrate Court sentenced Northern Islamic Movement leader Sheikh Raed Salah to three and a half years imprisonment (including three years of suspended sentence) in a plea agreement. Four other senior Islamic movement members, who together with Salah were accused of funneling cash to Hamas, were also given jail terms.
The five were arrested and indicted in May 2003 for having foreign contact with Iranian agents and Hamas terrorists and for raising, laundering and transfering money for Hamas. In the course of the trial Israeli authorities released telephone intercepts of Sheikh Salah's phone conversations with Hamas fundraisers abroad, including officials from two U.S.-designated Hamas front organizations in Europe - Interpal and the al Aqsa International Foundation (headquartered in England and Germany, respectively).
For more on Sheikh Raed Salah's ties to Hamas fronts in Europe see "Turning a Blind Eye to Hamas in London," which can be found here.
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