BICOM

Two Palestinian employees at the British Consulate General in Jerusalem were arrested and charged with weapons trafficking and aiding a plot organised by Hamas to fire a rocket into the Teddy football stadium in Jerusalem. “We have been told by the Israeli authorities that the investigation into our two employees is unrelated to the work they do at the consulate,” confirmed the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office spokesperson.

The two arrested were East Jerusalem residence, Musa Hamada from the Sur Baher neighbourhood and Bassem Omeri an Arab Israeli citizen from Beit Safafa. According to the Shin Bet Security Service, the two men had collected intelligence on Teddy Stadium and had planned to fire a missile at the stadium during a Beitar Jerusalem football game. The Shin Bet added that Hamada and Omeri also bought handguns and tried to purchase rifles and bombs and were working with two other suspects who are Hamas members.