1. Ahlam Tamimi was convicted by an Israeli military tribunal and received multiple life sentences, but was released in 2011 as part of the Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange and exiled to Jordan.
15 Facts About Ahlam Tamimi
1. 2.
Ahlam Tamimi placed an explosive device at a grocery store in Jerusalem in July 2001, which exploded, but did not cause damage.
3.
Ahlam Tamimi helped plan and participated in the Sbarro restaurant suicide bombing, which caused 145 casualties, including 16 fatalities, half of them children.
4.
Ahlam Tamimi was 20 years old at the time, and still in university.
5.
On 9 August 2001, Ahlam Tamimi escorted suicide bomber Izz al-Din Shuheil al-Masri to the Sbarro restaurant.
6.
Ahlam Tamimi used disguise techniques to deflect attention from herself and al-Masri, wearing a dress that made her appear more like a "Jewish tourist" than an Arab, and using language skills gained in her journalism studies.
7.
Ahlam Tamimi then had a second role reporting on the attack in the press, in her part-time journalism job.
8.
Ahlam Tamimi said when Tamimi was released along with hundreds of other convicted murderers in exchange for a single Israeli soldier, it felt as if her daughter was murdered all over again.
9.
In subsequent interviews, Ahlam Tamimi commented that she was not sorry for what she had done, and does not recognize Israel's existence.
10.
Ahlam Tamimi has expressed satisfaction at the sizable death count, including those of the children, and her earlier disappointment when initial reports stated lower counts.
11.
Ahlam Tamimi was imprisoned for her role in the events, but was released in an October 2011 prisoner swap for captive Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.
12.
At a military tribunal at the Ofer Prison, Ahlam Tamimi received 16 consecutive life sentences and an additional 15 years in prison.
13.
Ahlam Tamimi later met with Hamas leader Khaled Mashal in Cairo, Egypt.
14.
On 15 July 2013, the US Justice Department filed criminal charges in the District of Columbia against Ahlam Tamimi for conspiring to use a weapon of mass destruction against US nationals outside the US, resulting in death.
15.
Ahlam Tamimi is the first Islamic terrorist from the Arab League to face criminal prosecution in the United States and marks a stark about-face from American foreign policy under previous administrations.