The defendant was identified as Iyad Rashid Abu Arja, an
Australian born in Saudi Arabia and accused of helping Hamas in a plot to
attack targets in Israel.
Israeli officials said Hamas was recruiting both native Muslims as well as converts from Christianity to conduct
espionage operations in the Jewish state.
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"Hamas believes that Westerners have a much easier time entering Israel
and moving around than anybody else," an official said.
The indictment said Abu Arja, arrested when he arrived on a flight to
Israel, joined Hamas and traveled to Syria where he underwent weapons
training, Middle East Newsline reported. Abu Arja was alleged to have been ordered to acquire Israeli
technology in such fields as missile guidance and encryption.
Abu Arja was told to contact Israeli defense companies in the Hamas
effort to acquire technology. The indictment said Abu Arja worked in
computers and that his latest visit had been meant to determine whether he
could enter and leave Israel without detection.