An indictment was filed today (Monday) against three Israelis, residents of Arara, on suspicion of pledging allegiance to ISIS and planning to carry out terrorist attacks in Israel.
As part of the investigation by the police and Shin Bet, it emerged that during January, the three had a confrontation with Border Police officers, and following the confrontation, they contacted a foreign agent and received training from elements in Syria on preparing explosive devices with which they intended to harm the security forces.
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According to the statement from the prosecutor's office, brothers Mahmoud (19) and Muhammad (20) Sheikh Khalil, as well as a 15-year-old boy, expressed "increasing identification with the ideology of the ISIS organization.".
They are accused of offenses that include, each according to their part, conspiracy to commit a terrorist act of murder under aggravated circumstances, manufacturing and possessing weapons for terrorist purposes, training and instruction for terrorist purposes, contact with a foreign agent, and obstructing a police officer under aggravated circumstances.
In order to implement the plan, the boy contacted an ISIS official in Syria and requested videos and documents that would instruct him on how to make explosive devices.
The defendant Mahmoud purchased fireworks, two iron pipes, and corks, and from them he and the boy together made two separate explosive devices.
The three recorded themselves testing the charges in an open area, with the intention of producing a powerful charge.
In the video, Mahmoud is heard saying: "We are going to blow ourselves up on the infidels. I swear by Allah and the Messenger of Allah to obey the Commander of the Believers.".
A senior police official said: "The Israel Police, together with the General Security Service, will continue to act with determination and zero tolerance against any attempt to harm the citizens of the State of Israel. The arrest of the minor who planned to carry out an attack is the result of precise intelligence activity and a rapid response by the security forces. Anyone who chooses the path of terrorism will be caught, arrested and brought to justice.".
Shin Bet source: "The investigation has once again revealed a worrying picture of the recent expansion of the trend of minors from among Israeli Arabs being involved in terrorism. The General Security Service views with great seriousness any involvement of Israeli citizens in activities that endanger the security of the state.".
At the end of the investigative actions of the Coast District Police and the Shin Bet, the Haifa District Attorney's Office, as mentioned, filed a serious indictment along with a request for their arrest until the end of the proceedings.
