Key Palestinian leader to face terror charges

Israeli forces arrested Marwan Barghouti, the West Bank chief of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's Fatah movement, in April.

JERUSALEM (CNN) -- The Israeli Justice Ministry said Tuesday it will indict Marwan Barghouti, a popular leader of the Palestinian uprising, on charges of helping to orchestrate attacks in which dozens of Israelis were killed and hundreds wounded.

Barghouti, the West Bank chief of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's Fatah movement, has been in Israeli custody since he was arrested April 15.

The Justice Ministry said its investigation found Barghouti led, orchestrated and subsidized attacks against Israeli targets. The indictment will be handed down Wednesday, a ministry spokesman said.

Barghouti maintains his innocence. He said he considers himself a politician and a leader of the Al Aqsa Intifada, but he denies any involvement in the killing of Israelis.

Justice Ministry spokesman Jacob Galanti said, "From the scope of his actions rose a clear picture of a mass murderer who had his hands in dozens of acts of terror.

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"Among the dozens of acts of murderous terrorism that will be detailed in the indictment, Barghouti will be charged with the crimes of murder, accessory to murder, conspiracy to murder, attempted murder, plotting to commit a crime, activity in a terrorist organization and membership in a terrorist organization."

Barghouti's attorney, Jawad Boulus, said his client is innocent of all charges "that Israel has tried to pin on him through four months of interrogation."

"Israel hasn't been able to extract any signature from him on these [allegations]. Marwan has always expressed the legitimate right of the Palestinians to resist occupation but distinguishes between resisting occupation and killing of civilians in Israel."

Boulus said he does not recognize the jurisdiction of an Israeli court, saying it was not legal under the Oslo accords since Barghouti is an elected member of the Palestinian Legislative Council.

"Marwan is an elected deputy from Area A," Boulus said, referring to a portion of the West Bank under Palestinian civil and security control. "He's a political prisoner."

Considered one of the most prominent grass-roots Palestinian politicians, Barghouti, 42, has been mentioned as a possible successor to Arafat.

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