Four Palestinians who entered West Berlin last Oct. from Beirut via East Berlin appeared in a Berlin court yesterday, charged with planning to blow up an El Al office, an aliens authorities bureau, an Israeli-managed hotel, and a dance-hall. The accused range in age from 18 to 33. The youngest, 18-year-old Mohammed Zaher, pleaded guilty to the charges. He said, “I feel it is my duty to do what my country demands of me,” adding that the other defendants had nothing to do with the planned bomb attacks.
The four men entered West Berlin in two groups on Oct. 1, and registered in a Schoeneberg Hotel. The West Berlin police searched their rooms on Oct. 18 after a tip-off and found about 10 pounds of explosives. The defense counsel has asked the court to investigate the possible involvement of the Israeli secret service in the affair.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
