Mahmoud Atwan

Mahmoud Muhammad Ahmad Atwan is one of the senior members of Hamas’s command in Turkey. In December 1992, together with other Hamas operatives, he abducted and murdered Israeli Border Police officer Nissim Toledano. He was captured by Israeli security forces in June 1993. The principal charges of which he was convicted included murder in connection with hostile activity, attempted murder in connection with hostile activity, and kidnapping, coercion, or false imprisonment. He was sentenced to life imprisonment. In 2011, after serving 18 years in an Israeli prison, he was released as part of the Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange and deported to Turkey. From there, he recruits terrorists and directs terrorist activity as part of Hamas’s command in Turkey.