Jewish woman suspected of aiding Rishon suicide bomber

A Jewish immigrant from the former Soviet Union is suspected of aiding the terrorist who committed last Wednesday's suicide bombing in Rishon Letzion, which killed two people and injured 51.

On May 23, the day after the attack, the Shin Bet security service arrested Marina Pinsky, 26, who immigrated from Russia 11 years ago, along with her Palestinian husband, Ibrahim Sarahna, 33, of the Deheishe refugee camp near Bethlehem. The gag order on the arrest was lifted only yesterday.

Under interrogation, the two confessed to helping the terrorist, Issa Abed-Raba Badir, and revealed new details about the attack. They said that Ahmed Mugrabi, a senior Tanzim leader who had long been on Israel's wanted list, recruited Sarahna to bring terrorists into Israel, taking advantage of the freedom of movement he enjoys as the husband of an Israeli. Sarahna agreed in the full knowledge that his passengers planned to carry out attacks, but Pinsky said she discovered their purpose only after the fact.

Sarahna told interrogators that there were supposed to be two bombers in the Rishon attack, and he ferried them both from Bethlehem in a stolen car. He said he was the one who suggested Rishon as a good place for the attack, and drew the perpetrators a map of the area to help them.