After police arrested a 20-year-old ISIS-affiliated man who was planning an attack on soldiers, prosecutors filed an indictment against the suspect Thursday morning, according to a joint statement from the Northern District Central Unit and Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency).
According to the statement, Mohammad Abd al-Ghani, a resident of Nahf in the Galilee, “pledged allegiance to the [ISIS], attempted to purchase a handgun, and intended to advance terrorist activity against IDF soldiers in the city of Karmiel.”
According to Superintendent Amit Zinger, Head of the Minorities Department in the Northern District Central Unit, al-Ghani was arrested roughly a month ago, following weeks of investigation by police and Shin Bet. During his arrest, posters and terrorist symbols affiliated with ISIS were seized.
A significant number of Arab citizens of Israel have sworn loyalty to ISIS in recent years
The Northern District Attorney’s Office filed an indictment against the suspect with the Nazareth District Court on Thursday and requested his detention until the end of legal proceedings.
“The Shin Bet and the Israel Police view with great severity the growing phenomenon in which Israeli citizens seek to act on behalf of terrorist organizations against Israelis, and will continue to act decisively to thwart any activity against the State of Israel,” the joint statement concluded.
In recent years, a significant number of Arab citizens of Israel have sworn loyalty to ISIS, usually arrested before being able to carry out an attack. Less than two months ago, a man was arrested on similar charges, and in January, a 15-year-old resident of northern Israel was accused of swearing loyalty to the terrorist and planning an attack.
ISIS, which has relied heavily on lone-wolf attacks in the past, took responsibility for a Jerusalem stabbing in 2017 and a shooting in Hadera in 2022.