Three Arab residents of Arara have been charged with planning a terrorist attack in Israel with direction from ISIS.
The Haifa District Attorney’s Office has filed a significant indictment against three Arab residents of Arara, accusing them of planning a terrorist attack in Israel as part of the ISIS terror organization.
The three were arrested in a coordinated operation led by the ISA and Israel Police.
According to the investigation, the three suspects confronted Border Police officers in January, after which they made contact with an overseas agent and decided to target Jews. It was further revealed that they received instructions from ISIS operatives in Syria on how to make explosive devices. They even conducted a test explosion in an open area to assess the strength of their devices, intending to use them against security forces.
One of the defendants, Mahmoud, purchased fireworks, iron pipes, and caps. Along with a minor, they separately constructed two explosive devices: one was made outside a Clalit Health Services clinic in Arara, and the other in Mahmoud’s home kitchen. The defendant Muhammad was present during the process, and they documented the entire operation on video.
Mahmoud reportedly said: “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.” The entire process was recorded in videos.
After completing the test explosions, the minor sent a message to Syria, as requested by Mahmoud, claiming they had begun learning to make pipe bombs. He also included a video documenting the device’s production, transport, and operation.
A senior police official commented, “The Israel Police, along with the Israel Security Agency, will continue to act decisively and with zero tolerance toward any attempt to harm Israeli citizens. The arrest of the minor, who planned the attack, is a direct result of precise intelligence work and a swift response from security forces. Anyone involved in terrorism will be apprehended, arrested, and brought to justice.”
An ISA official also noted, “The investigation has highlighted a troubling trend of increasing involvement by minors, particularly among Israeli Arabs, in terrorism. The Israel Security Agency takes any threat from Israeli citizens to national security very seriously.”
