Starts today in front of a military court in Gaza, the trial of four people charged in the kidnapping and murder by Vittorio Arrigoni, the activist and Italian reporter killed in the Strip, on the night of 14 and 15 April, after a kidnapping and contours still unclear.The four defendants are Mohamed Salfiti (23 years), Tamer Hasasnah (25), Khader Gharami (26) and Amer Abu Ghula (25). Missing the call the two alleged leaders of the cell that has kidnapped and killed "Vik", Palestinian Bilal al Omari and Jordan Ahmed Rahman Breizat, killed by Hamas security forces a few days after the discovery of the body of Arrigoni, in blitz against the alleged "hotbed" in the refugee camp of Nusseirat.
According to the indictment, the defendants were part of an armed group Salafi and from what you know – in advance of the depositions defensive today by the newspaper Il Manifesto that has reached one of the lawyers – young people at the bar they tend to confirm this version, even if you reduce the scope of their "group", which would not be part of a structured organization. Mohammed Najar, lawyer Gharami said to manifest that the band's intention was to seize a Westerner, to put pressure on Hamas, and obtain the release of Sheikh Abdel-Walid al-Maqdisi. The action would be served, according to the indictment, to accredit this group as a local contact to Tawhid wal Jihad, a Salafi. Sheikh was arrested two months earlier by Hamas security forces and imprisoned on charges of subversive activity.
Jordan Breizat, pupil of al-Maqdisi, according to the indictment, had entered Gaza some weeks before for trying to organize an operation that saw the release of Sheikh.
According to the version of the defendants, had been to Omari, who knew Arrigoni because they attended the same gym, to indicate the target of kidnapping. The lawyer of Gharami explains that his "assisted" because he insisted was seized Arrigoni, because it was well-known in the Strip and in the world of organizations of solidarity with the Palestinians, and because he "led a life too, does not conform to the dictates of Islam."
The defendants claim that was not their intention to kill Arrigoni, but in the video released by the Group appeared emaciated and swollen for the beatings suffered. It is not clear, and it is up to the military court to clarify the facts, because things have gone out of hand. The group, perhaps, he felt the pressure of the intelligence services of Hamas, which has already been a few hours after the seizure had identified and arrested Gharami, who had the task of following the movements of Arrigoni. At that point, according to defence, Omari and Breizat decided to kill the English and tried, along with the other, to lose their tracks.
In addition to the actual role of the two alleged leaders, it is not clear yet which side had each of the defendants. Mohamed Salfiti said investigators had not been present at the time of the killing of Vittorio, and so also Hasasnah, while Gharami claims not to have had an operational role in the kidnapping and have been limited to follow the Italian activist movement. Ghula, instead, is accused only of flanking because he rented the apartment where the Group has carried out the seizure until his tragic epilogue. The end of the seizure, the advocate Najar, was "first of all get the liberation of al-Maqdisi, then scare Italian, crush it and put it back in freedom".
Victor's family will be represented in the process from the Palestinian Centre for human rights. The military judge Atallah Abu Omar has many things to be clarified, since it was chosen as a victim of Vittorio an operation whose political goal was put in difficulty Hamas, whose authorities have been very reticent about the investigation and did not show the documents the prosecution nor the family Arrigoni.
Joseph Zarlingo
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