Dirar Abu Sisi the 42 year-old engineer who was arrested by Israel while traveling in the Ukraine, was indicted yesterday in an Israeli court for being a member of Hamas and for designing rockets for the Islamist group’s military branch.
Indictment for Rocket Manufacture and Membership in Hamas
The official summary of the court indictment, which prosecutors filed in a Beersheva District Court, charged Abu Sisi with belonging to a militant group and with hundreds of counts of attempted murder in addition to making rockets.
The document states that, “Abu Sisi is accused of nine charges regarding activity in a terrorist organization, hundreds of counts of attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder and arms production offenses.”
In addition the indictment alleges that Abu Sisi helped to create locally made rockets which were used by Gaza militants, and was also responsible for “increasing their range and ability to pierce steel so as to penetrate IDF armored vehicles and thus harm soldiers.”
Founded Training Academy in Gaza
The indictment adds that Abu Sisi ran the Hamas military training academy which was begun after Israel’s assault on Gaza in December of 2009, Operation Cast Lead, which lasted 22 days and was designed to halt the threat of rocket attacks from Gaza into Israeli territory.
Smadar Ben-Natan is Abu Sisi’s Israeli lawyer. She explained to journalists that her client did confess to “certain things” but she could not specify what “things” due to court-imposed restrictions.
She was able to say, however, that her client’s confessions were given “under very heavy duress which I would characterize as torture.”
Dirar Abu Sisi disappeared last month while on a train in the Ukraine, where his wife Veronica was born. Shortly after his disappearance Israel announced that he was in Israel’s custody in Shikma prison in Ashkelon.
Germany Speculates that Abu Sisi Knows Where Shalit Is
The German magazine Der Spiegel has hinted that Israel abducted Abu Sisi because they believe that he has information regarding the location of Gilad Shalit, the Israeli soldier who was taken in 2006 by Gaza extremists and is still being held.
Both Abu Sisi’s wife and lawyer assert that he does not have any information regarding Shalit.
A gag order in Israel prohibits the publication of further details regarding Abu Sisi’s case.