Israeli court convicts Arafat aide over weapons smuggling

Published today (updated) 29/07/2009 14:42 Bethlehem – Ma’an – An Israeli military court convicted Fuad Shubaki, a former financial advisor to the late President Yasser Arafat, on Wednesday of arranging funding and weapons smuggling operations for Fatah’s military wing, Al-Aqsa Brigades. He was also convicted of masterminding the Karine A, a freighter that was intercepted allegedly carrying weapons from Iran to Gaza in 2002. Israeli forces stormed the ship in the Red Sea, seizing the weapons onboard. The verdict said, “Shubaki’s office delivered money to establish a factory for producing explosives, and Shubaki himself knew that the weapons and explosives were taken to Al-Aqsa Brigades and were used in attacks against Israel.” Shubaki was seized in 2005 when Israeli forces stormed the central Palestinian Authority prison in the West Bank city of Jericho.