The Israeli prosecution said that 22-year-old Ahmed Awad from the city's neighborhood of Beit Safafa contacted with Hamas operatives during his academic studies in Cyprus.

According to the indictment, in 2008 Awad became acquainted with two Hamas operatives from the Gaza Strip. One of them introduced him to Wisam Hammad, another Hamas man, who recruited the defendant to the Jerusalem Muslim Brotherhood. Membership in the group is forbidden according to a decree by the Israeli defense minister.

The indictment said that Hammad promised Awad that the organization would fund half of his university tuition as well as half of his living expenses. The operative also offered the defendant to join to assist the families of Palestinian prisoners in Israel, but the latter refused.

Later, Hammad recruited Awad to other activity in Israel including the collection of information on various sites around the country and on political and social issues in Israel.

The indictment said that Hammad explained to the defendant that when he arrived in Israel, he would have to write reports on various topics and send them to elements within the Palestinian movement. Awad accepted the role.

In order to prepare him for the mission, Hammad gave Awad "security training", which included training in secret communication with his handlers, using coding programs, surveillance and resistance to Israeli interrogation methods and Israeli intelligence recruitment tactics.

In the final test, Awad was required to submit a report on collecting data in his neighborhood in Beit Safafa.

At the end of the course, Awad was given the alias "Khaled", which he was to use while contacting his handlers in the movement. He left with Hammad to Turkey and then eventually arrived in Israel, where he was arrested.