Monday, January 3, 2011

Israel arrests UK consulate staff over 'stadium plot'

Huge Jerusalem flag unfurled at the Teddy stadium
The arrests were linked to an alleged attack on the Teddy stadium

Two Palestinian employees of the UK consulate general in East Jerusalem have been arrested over an alleged weapons plot, Israeli officials say.

The UK Foreign Office confirmed the arrests, allegedly linked to plans to fire a rocket at a football stadium.

Reports say the two men had helped obtain weapons for two other men allegedly planning the attack. Those two men were arrested on Sunday.

No rockets were found and the plot was in its preliminary stages, police said.

The consulate employees had maintenance jobs and did not have sensitive security clearance, the Foreign Office said.

Their arrests were not connected to their work at the consulate, it added.

However, the BBC's Wyre Davis says the incident will raise concern about vetting procedures at the consulate, which is situated in one of the most politically sensitive parts of Jerusalem.

Launch sites

The two suspected plotters arrested on Sunday - one of whom was an Israeli citizen and one a resident of East Jerusalem - were said to be planning to attack Jerusalem's Teddy Stadium.

The stadium is home of the Beitar Jerusalem football team and regularly hosts high-profile sports events.

Both men have allegedly been linked to militant groups including Hamas, Israel's Haaretz newspaper said.

The newspaper quoted information released by Israel's Shin Bet domestic security service, saying the two had acquired a number of pistols and were trying to build a cache of additional weapons and explosives.

They had been investigating possible sites from which to launch the rocket and gathering information about security in the area, the security service added.

By: BBC News


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