Famous Cases

Suicide bombing at "Maxim" restaurant in Haifa - 4 October 2003 On the Saturday afternoon of 4 October 2003, at 14:18, a female suicide bomber from Jenin blew herself up inside "Maxim", a beachfront restaurant near the southern entry to Haifa. more › The uncovering of Adolph Eichmann in Argentina and his Prosecution in Israel (1960) Adolph Otto Eichmann was born in 1906 in Solingen, Germany, and was raised in Austria. In 1932, Eichmann joined the Nazi party and enlisted to the SS. Several years on he was appointed Head of the Jewish section of the SS and was in charge on formulating and implementing the "final solution" to European Jewry. more › Twin Attacks at the Airports of Vienna and Rome (Dec. 27, 1985) On December 27, 1985 El-Al's security system was put to test, as two terrorist cells from Abu Nidal's Damascus-based organization simultaneously attacked crowds of El-Al passengers at the airports of Vienna and Rome. more › Attack against an El Al plane at Zurich International Airport (1969) Armed with only a handgun, security guard Mordechai Rahamim thwarted an attack against an El Al plane during preparation for take-off at Zurich International Airport. The perpetrators planned to force the plane to stop by shooting at it, place explosives underneath it, and blow it up with passengers on board. more › Terrorist Attack against the Park Hotel in Netanya (2002) At 19:20 on March 27, 2002, during the Passover dinner, a suicide bomber blew himself up in the dining hall of Park Hotel in Netanya. 29 people died in the explosion, and 64 were injured. Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack. more › The Rescue of Israeli Ambassador to Egypt during Sadat Assassination - 1981 October 6 is Egypt's historical date to commemorate the 1973 October War in which Egypt managed to restore some of its dignity after the failure in the 1967 Six-Day War against Israel. Egypt celebrates the event with an impressive annual victory parade, a military march and an aerial display. Many dignitaries among them Egyptian senior leaders, diplomats, and many other high ranking persons are invited. more › The Yaacobian Case – a Spy of the Egyptian-1963 8/18/2011 On December 19, 1963, a new immigrant from Brazil, a resident of Ashkelon, Yitzhak (Zaki) Kuchuk, was arrested on suspicion of espionage on behalf of Egypt. more › The Tyre HQ Bombing – First Suicide Attack against Israel (1983) On November 4 1983 at 06:00, a car bomb loaded with approximately 600kg of explosives, infiltrated an IDF HQ located at the outskirts of Tyre which contained an ISA and an Israel Border Police (IBP) interrogations facility. more › Terrorist Attack against the Embassy of Israel in Buenos Aires, Argentina (1992) At 14:45 on March 17, 1992 a car bomb exploded in front of the embassy of Israel in Buenos Aires, Argentina. A large part of the embassy building collapsed following the explosion. more › Yisrael Bar (1961) On March 31, 1961, Yisrael Bar, a senior employee in the Ministry of Defense, was arrested under suspicion of espionage for the USSR. Yisrael Bar, a former lieutenant colonel in the IDF, was a well known military commentator and an expert on military history, and was employed in a civilian job in the Ministry of Defense to write a book on the history of the War of Independence. more › Exposure of a Jewish-Arab Espionage and Terror Network (1972) On December 7, 1972 the media released an announcement from the spokesman for the Israeli Police, Northern region: “The security establishment exposed and arrested a covert organization, operating in the northern and central part of the country on behalf of Syria. This organization included Arabs, most of whom were from the northern part of the country as well as Jews with extreme left wing views. Some of the members in the organization were spying against Israel and the organization was preparing for sabotage operations in Israel. more › Anne-Marie Murphy Case (1986) On Thursday, April 17, 1986, at the Heathrow International Airport in London, El Al security agents thwarted an attempt to blow up an El Al plane in mid-air. The plane, a Boeing 747, flight no. 016 on the New York – London – Tel Aviv route, was preparing to depart with 395 passengers and crew more › Capuchi Case (1974) In May 1974, three Katyusha rockets were discovered near the Armon Ha-Natziv neighborhood southern Jerusalem, aimed and ready for deployment toward the center of the city. The day before, an explosive charge composed of three bazooka bombs had been discovered in Jerusalem. more › Exposure of Fatah's Large Weapon Dead Drop (1978-1980) In 1978-1980, ISA conducted a complex Intelligence operation in the Gaza Strip that exposed about half a ton of weaponry. The ammunition dump was concealed by Fatah in a Dead Drop1 (DD) in Gaza city and was the largest quantity of ammunition and weaponry seized in one DD, belonging to a terrorist organization within the Territories. more › The Kastner Affair (1957) Israel (Rudolf) Kastner, a leader of the Jewish community in Hungary during the Holocaust served in the beginning of the 50s as the spokesman of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry after immigrating to Israel. In the summer of 1952, Malchiel Gruenwald, a Hungarian elderly from Jerusalem, published pamphlets accusing Kastner for being a Nazi collaborator in the extermination of Hungarian Jews, a plunderer of Jewish property, and a supporter of a Nazi war criminal after the war. The pamphlets called for Kastner's assassination. more › The E.S. Case – A Romanian Spy Operating in Israel under the Cover of a New Immigrant (1958-1965) One of the major methods of the Eastern block to infiltrate agents into Israel was under the cover of newcomers. Generally, an immigrant movement offers a convenient opportunity for secret services to infiltrate agents into a country, and Israel, being a country absorbing immigrants is ideal for that purpose. more › Rasko - Operating a Double Agent vis à vis the Romanian Intelligence In the summer of 1958, a new immigrant from Romania arrived at a government office and informed the clerk that he arrived to Israel under cover as a Romanian Intelligence agent with different espionage missions to carry out, and asked to meet a security official. He immigrated to Israel with his family only a few days earlier. more › Shimon Levinson (Lavi) Affair In April 1983, Mr. Levinson entered the Soviet Union's embassy in Bangkok, Thailand, and offered his assistance to the Russians. He was recruited and operated by the Soviet intelligence agency and secret police, the KGB, until his arrest in May 1991. more › Exposing a Hamas Cell Specializing in Sophisticated Explosive Devices (1998) In October 1998 ISA uncovered a Hamas cell from Jerusalem, whose two leaders had been trained as explosive experts, and specialized in executing attacks through explosive devices operated by remote controls and suspension devices, as well as booby-trapping video tapes with explosive charges. more › Arrest of Hamas Activists who have Undergone Training (1995-1998) in Iran Ismail Jaabari and Mohammad Halef, two Gaza-Strip Hamas activists, were detained for ISA interrogation in March-April 1999 upon their return from abroad, due to information indicating they have been sent by Hamas for military training in Iran. Another activist, Khaled Harazalla, from Yabed village in the Jenin area, who was detained (Oct. 1998) upon returning from abroad but eventually released, was detained once again as a result of the interrogation of the above two. more › Interrogation of a Gaza Strip-based PIJ activist In March 1996, Hassan Khawaja was arrested at Rafah Crossing when returning from abroad. Khawaja was born in 1968, a doctor, and a resident of Shati Refugee Camp in the Gaza Strip. Khawaja was arrested due to indications suggesting he was recruited abroad and was assigned terror tasks. It should be mentioned that Hassan's brother, Mahmoud Khawaja was the military leader of Gaza Strip-based PIJ until his death in June 1995. more › Kidnapping and Release of Shaul Masahnia in Tul Karm (1989) On the noon of August 23, 1989 an Israeli was kidnapped in the city Tul Karm. The Israeli, Shaul Mashania, a Jew of Syrian descent, resident of Bat Yam, a gold dealer who used to arrive in the city for business purposes. On August 25, less than 48 hours since his abduction, Mashania was released thanks to ISA's swift and laborious investigation assisted by IDF. more › Operation Solomon – 20 Years Anniversary – ISA part Operation Moses was the covert evacuation of Ethiopian Jews to Israel through the Sudanese border in November 1984. The operation was stopped prematurely following a press leak in January 1985, and efforts had continued ever since to rescue the remaining Ethiopian Jewry. In May 1991, in a single unique effort dubbed Operation Solomon, this exodus was resumed. more › The Refrigerator Bomb Explosion Case in Jerusalem (1975) On July 4, 1975 an explosive device hidden within a refrigerator exploded in Jerusalem's Zion Square. The explosion resulted in the deaths of 14 people and the injuries of 62 people. more ›