Jamal Akal

A Canadian citizen, Jamal Akal was arrested by Israeli security forces in 2003, and accused of conspiring with Hamas leaders to target and assassinate an Israeli politician travelling to the United States.Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, [http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Government/Communiques/2003/Hamas-trained%20terrorist-%20Canadian%20national-%20arrest Hamas-trained terrorist, Canadian national, arrested by ISA] , December 8, 2003]

Life

Akal moved to Canada in 1999 and obtained Canadian citizenship. In 2003 he left Windsor, Ontario and returned to Palestine to look for a wife, and became acquainted with Mohammed Bashir Abut Matar, who urged him to avenge the death of his cousin at Israeli military hands.

Arrest

Akal was arrested November 1 2003, several days after arriving in the Gaza strip. Pleading guilty on November 24, he said that he had been counselled by Ahmed Wahabe to follow an unnamed Israeli politician touring the United States, and raise funds in North American mosques to purchase an M16 rifle with which to launch a sniper attack, killing the target.NEFA Foundation, [http://www.nefafoundation.org/miscellaneous/HamasPlot.pdf Target America: Analysis of the Jamal Akal case] , July 2007] He also claimed that he had been told to attribute the attack to al-Qaeda, rather than Hamas.

Akal was sentenced to four years' imprisonment by the military court, and was released back to Canada in August 2007.

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