Cyprus Trial of Hizbullah Member Wraps Up, Verdict on March 21
The trial of a Hizbullah member accused of preparing attacks on Israelis in Cyprus has concluded with final summations submitted to the court in writing.
The court then asked defense and prosecution lawyers to clarify specific parts of their summations, which weren't read out or made public Thursday. The court said it will render its verdict on March 21.
Defense lawyer Antonis Georgiades said after the court adjourned that prosecutors haven't proved a case against his client Hossam Taleb Yaacoub.
Yaacoub, a 24-year-old Swedish-Lebanese citizen, has pleaded not guilty to eight charges including conspiracy and participation in a criminal organization.
Last month, Yaacoub described himself as a loyal Hizbullah member doing its bidding in Europe, but vehemently denied being part of a group preparing an attack.
He told the court under cross-examination that his Hizbullah handler in Lebanon told him to record the arrival times of Flight IZ167 from Israel on July 3 and July 7 last year. He said he only knows his handler as 'Ayman,' and never saw his face because Ayman always wore a mask.
The Mediterranean island of Cyprus is a popular vacation destination for Israelis, especially those seeking civil marriages.
Yaacoub also used a code to jot down in a red notebook the license plate numbers of two buses transporting passengers from the Israeli flight. The plate numbers — LAA 505 and KWK 663 — were deciphered using the words "Laamborghini" and "Kawasaky" as well as a number scribbled in the back of Yaacoub's notebook.
Yaacoub said he would have delivered the information back to Ayman in Lebanon but he was arrested. He insisted, however, that he didn't know what the information was going to be used for and was not part of a group planning an attack.
Source: Associated Press, Naharnet
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