The Jerusalem Post (www.jpost.com) reports that an Imam (Muslim "Priest") in Budapest, Hungary, had plans to blow up a Holocaust Museum:

Police arrested the spiritual leader of a small Islamic community in Budapest Tuesday during a visit President Moshe Katsav and suggested he was planning to bomb the city's Jewish museum. Two Syrians also were detained on related charges. [...]

Police identified the suspect as a 42-year-old dentist of "Palestine origin" and said he was the spiritual leader of a small Islamic community in Budapest. He is a naturalized Hungarian citizen. [...]

The suspect began making phone calls in November to friends "to get explosives," said Petofi. On one occasion "he asked an acquaintance to use the explosive to blow up a Jewish museum," he added. [...]

This year is the 60th anniversary of the deportation of the Hungarian Jews. More than 600,000 Hungarian Jews lost their lives in the last years of the WWII.

A few months ago, U.S. President George Bush called Islam "the religion of peace". When Islamic priests (Imams) spit their venom and hate every Friday across Saudia Arabia, Egypt, and Ramallah, and when one actually tries to destroy a Holocaust Museum, it seems like a part of Islam is more like the religion of hatred, explosives and mass murder.

I copy the full article below.

Budapest: Palestinian Imam planned to bomb Holocaust museum
Apr. 13, 2004, Link

Police arrested the spiritual leader of a small Islamic community in Budapest Tuesday during a visit President Moshe Katsav and suggested he was planning to bomb the city's Jewish museum. Two Syrians also were detained on related charges.

Israeli officials and diplomats had earlier spoken of three Arab suspects arrested in the Hungarian capital on suspicion they were planning to kill Katsav.

But senior law enforcement officials in Hungary denied that Katsav was the target of the planned attack. "During my meting with the Hungarian President, they told me that I may have been the target, but afterwards the information became clearer," President Katsav told Channel 2 Tuesday night.

"There is no connection whatsoever between today's official visit by the Israeli president and the police action taken this morning," said National Police Commissioner Laszlo Salgo.
Tibor Pal, a senior Interior Ministry official, also said that Katsav's presence in the Hungarian capital "has nothing to do with the police action taken today."

Police identified the suspect as a 42-year-old dentist of "Palestine origin" and said he was the spiritual leader of a small Islamic community in Budapest. He is a naturalized Hungarian citizen.
The suspect, whose name was not released, was charged with being involved in "preparation for a terrorist attack," said Police Lt. Col. Attila Petofi.

The two Syrians were charged "with preparations for a crime against property," Petofi said without elaborating.

Police officials said investigations leading to the arrest had revealed "no date named for the attack and no (named) target facility."
But monitored phone calls of the suspect revealed that he had asked acquaintances for explosives "to blow up a Jewish museum," said Petofi.

The only permanent Jewish museum in the capital is the Holocaust Memorial Center to be inaugurated Thursday by Katsav. The timing of the police sweep thus appeared linked to Katsav's planned visit to the museum.

Hungarian police named no link to Hamas, who vowed to kill Israeli leaders following the killing of Sheikh Ahmed Yassin. Petofi added there was no immediate link to al-Qaida, although police were not ruling out that possibility.

"We do not yet know what the motives of the act were," he said. "We could not afford to wait ... for the preparations to turn into a real crime."

The suspect began making phone calls in November to friends "to get explosives," said Petofi. On one occasion "he asked an acquaintance to use the explosive to blow up a Jewish museum," he added.
The investigation had turned up no explosives or weapons so far, said police.

Earlier, Israeli and Hungarian media reported that an assassination attempt on the life of Katzav had been thwarted. The plot reportedly involved blowing up Budapest's new Holocaust museum during its inauguration by President Katsav.

No group has taken responsibility for the alleged plot.

Katsav arrived in Budapest Tuesday for a three-day offical visit to open the new Holocaust Museum of Budapest on Thursday.

Hungarian police said that the Arab nationals planned to blow up the museum in Budapest during its opening ceremony, Hungarian media reported. Hungarian media also report that foreign security agencies tipped off their Hungarian counterparts some weeks ago regarding a threat on the Israeli president's life.

Israel's embassy in Budapest denied Hungarian media reports that President Katsav's schedule in Hungary was changed four times following numerous warnings about threats to his life. Hungarian media report that the Arabs arrested arrived in Hungary last week.

Ynet reported that Budapest police had arrested the three Arab nationals after keeping them under surveillance and searching their homes.

A spokeswoman in Katsav's office in Jerusalem said the president was told that he had been the target. She had no information on the nature of the attack or how close the suspect got to carrying it out.

Israeli security officials say they had no prior warning of intended attacks against the president, but security around him is very tight. Since the assassination of Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, they say, security around all leading Israeli figures has been tightened. Channel One TV reported that Israeli security agencies Mossad and the Shin Bet heard about the assassination plot "from the media". Both agencies are responsible for the protection of Israeli dignitaries abroad.

This year is the 60th anniversary of the deportation of the Hungarian Jews. More than 600,000 Hungarian Jews lost their lives in the last years of the WWII.

A senior Budapest police official said security forces had bolstered their presence in the Hugarian capital in anticipation of terror attacks and President Katsav's visit.

Yosef Herring, an Israeli journalist speaking on Israel Radio from Budapest said that Hungarian police helicopters are circling the city, pointing to other Hungarian media reports that police may be looking for other suspects. The new Holocaust museum on Pavoh Road is next to the old synagogue in Budapest on Dohan Road, Herring said.

Katsav's office said he would continue with his visit according to schedule. In his first reaction to the report, President Katsav said he "trusted completely" in the abilities of the Hungarian and Israeli security services. "I jokingly told President Madl that it would be better if he stays three steps away me," Katsav told reporters.

Embassy officials denied reports that Katsav's schedule in Hungary had been altered several times because of the threat of a terrorist attack.

Katsav is scheduled to meet with Hungary's foreign minister and President in the coming days. He is also scheduled to meet with the heads of Hungary's Jewish community.

With AP

Posted by David Melle
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