WSVN-TV – Palestinian national arrested in So. Fla. Video at the link.
A Palestinian national has been arrested in South Florida after he was accused to attempting to purchase hundreds of stolen weapons.
On Sept. 1, President Barack Obama met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in order to discuss peace in the Middle East, mainly in the West Bank, where the terrorist group Hamas recently killed two Israeli civilians.
Less than a week later, Abdalaziz Aziz Hamayel, a Palestinian national with deep ties to the West Bank, was arrested and accused of trying to buy a large amount of weapons. According to a criminal complaint against Hamayel, the suspect attempted to purchase 300 weapons, which he knew were stolen, and the weapons were headed to “his people.”
The criminal complaint said, “Hamayel contacted the confidential source to discuss the weapons and explosives he was requesting for purchase…Hamayel specifically requested a quantity of 300 M-16 rifles, 9mm handguns, UZI sub-machine guns, silencers and grenades.”
Hamayel was also interested in buying remote detonation devices, like a cell phone detonator.
The criminal complaint also said Hamayel has a family friend from his village in the West Bank who lives in Miami. Hamayel’s associate informed an undercover investigator that he believed the person who was going to purchase the weapons for Hamayel lives in Coral Gables.
Investigators had been on the case for over a year. On Aug. 29, federal agents busted Hamayel in the US when he boarded a flight that had originated in Amman, Jordan, made its way through Chicago and landed in Miami.
Hamayel was taken into custody when he arrived at Miami International Airport. Hamayel was never able to purchase the weapons.
Authorities are still continuing their investigation.
