BICOM

In a development which is expected to increase calls for the European Union (EU) to proscribe Hezbollah as a terrorist organisation, a Cypriot court yesterday found a dual Lebanese-Swedish citizen guilty of helping Hezbollah plan an attack on Israeli tourists on the island.

The Limassol criminal court found Hossam Taleb Yaacoub guilty of five charges, including participating in a criminal organisation and taking part in a criminal act. During the trial, Yaacoub admitted that he has been a member of Hezbollah since 2007, during which time he had trained to use weapons and had acted as a courier for the organisation. He also gave details of meetings with his Hezbollah handler and said that he had staked out locations in Cyprus which were known to be popular with Israeli tourists. He had also noted the number plates of tour busses carrying Israelis. In its’ ruling, the court said “Any logical explanation that could present these actions as innocent ones is completely lacking.”

Yaacoub was arrested in Cyprus just days before a bus bomb in the Bulgarian resort of Burgas killed five Israeli tourists and their Bulgarian driver last July. A Bulgarian investigation indicated that Hezbollah was responsible, and Cypriot authorities believe that they prevented a similar attack by apprehending Yaacoub.

Yesterday’s ruling will likely intensify pressure on the EU to designate Hezbollah as a terrorist organisation, a step which could significantly hamper Hezbollah’s activities and in particular its fundraising capacity. Yesterday, US State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said that Yacoub’s conviction “underscores the need for our European allies… to crack down on this deadly group.” US President Obama was equally unequivocal during his speech in Jerusalem yesterday, saying, “Every country that values justice should call Hezbollah what it truly is – a terrorist organization.”