An indictment has been handed down against three Arab Israelis for allegedly planning a terror attack at the Temple Mount.
According to Jewish Telegraphic Agency (JTA), the Israel Security Agency announced that the three Israeli Arabs, who were arrested in January and February, plotted a shooting attack at the Temple Mount akin to July’s Al-Aqsa Mosque shooting that resulted in the murder of two Israeli police officers. They were thwarted by Israeli intelligence before they could obtain weapons.
The indicted Israeli Arabs have been identified as 20-year-old Mohammad Masoud Jabarin, 20-year-old Ammad Lutfi Jabarin and an unidentified 17-year-old, according to Ynet News. All three are reported supporters of ISIS as well as residents of Umma al-Fahm, the third largest Arabic city in Israel.
“Israelis supporting the Islamic State terror group a serious threat, and even more so those in contact with the group’s activists and those who act under the group’s banner in Israel,” the Israel Security Agency said in a statement. “The Shin Bet will continue monitoring the suspects and take whichever law enforcement measures are required to prevent the dissemination of the Islamic State’s teachings in Israel, as well as to foil any action against the country’s security.”
The trio of Arab Israelis had considered other forms of terror to use against Israelis, including the use of a vehicle as a weapon akin to the terror attack in Nice, France or targeting a church or synagogue.
According to the Jerusalem Post, Israel also thwarted a terror plot by ISIS to attack Israel Defense Force targets in 2015. In 2016, there were two ISIS-inspired shootings conducted by an Israeli Arab and two Palestinians; five people combined were killed. Israel recently started to rescind the citizenship of Israelis who joined ISIS.
