Arab-Israeli indicted on espionage charges

It has been cleared for publication that a 26-year-old resident of Majd al-Kurum has been arrested and indicted on espionage charges following a joint police and Shin Bet investigation.

Milad Mohammed Khatib, a truck driver, is suspected of spying for Hezbollah and gathering intelligence on IDF bases and defense facilities. He has also allegedly tracked the movement of President Shimon Peres.

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An indictment has been filed with the Haifa District Court on Thursday charging him with espionage, aiding the enemy, contacting a foreign agent and conspiring to aid the enemy at a time of war.

According to the indictment, Khatib met with Hezbollah operative Borhan Khatib in Denmark in 2007. Other individuals also attended the meeting which revolved around Hezbollah's rocket attacks during the Second Lebanon War.

During the meeting an idea was raised to establish a Hezbollah-type organization consisting of Arab-Israelis who would carry out terrorists attacks.

For the next few years, Khatib was briefed by a Hezbollah operative in Denmark and Turkey and was instructed to gather intelligence. According to the indictment he was paid $500 by his handlers.

According to the indictment, the defendant gathered information on President Peres' security detail during the latter's visit to Majd al-Kurum. He documented the number of security guards and vehicles and wrote down their license plate numbers.

A police official said that Khatib was arrested in early September and confessed to most of the charges. He added that the brother-in-law of the Majd al-Kurum council head aided Khatib, and has been cleared of criminal wrongdoing.

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