Hamouri was arrested in 2005 and accused of plotting to murder Ovadia Yosef founder of Israel's ultra-Orthodox Shas party, and former Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Israel. After over 3 years' detention without trial,[4] on the advice of his lawyer, while protesting his innocence he admitted culpability in a plea bargain in order to avoid a 14-year term of imprisonment, and was sentenced by a military tribunal to serve a 7 in jail.