Thursday, November 3 2005 11:38 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Jerusalem: Unimpressed by Hamas' ability to carry out attacks against Israel, nine members of the radical outfit including two trained in Pakistan and Afghanistan, have decided to join the al-Qaeda terror network, a report said.

Israeli Prison Service officials discovered the move by the group of nine prisoners with 'blood on their hands' after they recovered written messages that the inmates attempted to smuggle to each other.

An examination revealed that the notes contained al-Qaeda propaganda, detailed the terror network's ideology, and provided instructional information, officials told local media.

"Were talking about a move of defiance against the Hamas, which isn't radical enough in the prisoners view," a prison official was quoted as saying.

On initiating a full-scale investigation the prison authorities found that two of these detainees were trained by the al-Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

The probe also revealed that the inmates have already informed Hamas prison leaders about their decision to join Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda network. The Hamas leaders were unhappy at the 'defection' of nine members, sources reported.

"In their (the nine prisoners) opinion, Hamas is not doing enough, not carrying out enough terror attacks, and allowing the Jihad organisation to lead the struggle against Israel," a prison official said.

"Their move was meant to create a situation in prison where they serve as al-Qaeda's arm in jail," the report said quoting the official.