The Hamas cell was said to have been aided by two employees of the
British consulate in Jerusalem, Middle East Newsline reported. The consulate employees were charged with
trying to smuggle the rockets for the Hamas cell.
The Hamas detainees were identified as Mussa Hamada and Bassem Omeri,
arrested in November. An indictment in a Jerusalem court alleged that
Hamada and Omeri, residents of Jerusalem and Hamas operatives since 2007,
conducted surveillance of the stadium and examined ways to fire the rocket.
"The two suspects' activities included systematically checking how best
to launch a rocket while the stadium was crowded with people during a game,"
a military statement said on Jan. 2. "The two visited a hillside across the
stadium in order to survey the area for their attack."
Officials said Hamas began planning the rocket attack in wake of its war
with Israel in January 2009. They said Hamada visited Saudi Arabia several
times since 2009 and raised money for operations against Israel. One Saudi donor
was identified as a representative of the Muslim Brotherhood, the largest
opposition party in Egypt.
"In one of the meetings, the Saudi man gave Hamada money both to
purchase the weaponry and acquire intelligence about different sites in
Jerusalem," the statement said.
Officials said the Hamas cell did not acquire a rocket. They said the
cell did procure assault rifles for additional attacks against Israeli
targets.
Earlier, the Palestinian Authority asserted that Hamas had been
accumulating rockets for attacks in the West Bank. Hamas was said to have
stored rockets in the Ramallah area.
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