The Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) arrested two ISIS-affiliated Arab-Israelis from Umm el-Fahm in July on suspicion that they intended to carry out terrorist activity for the organization and to fight for it in Africa, an agency representative said Monday.
Mahmad Farouk al-Gabariya and Wabed al-Mahadi Masoud, both 21, were under the supervision of security forces because of their extreme jihad ideology. Masoud was known to the Shin Bet for previous activity on behalf of ISIS.
The interrogation of the suspects revealed that they had been making plans to leave Israel to fight for ISIS and had conferred with an Israeli citizen who had come back from fighting for al-Qaeda in Africa on how best to do it.
On Monday, an indictment was filed against the two suspects, the Shin Bet said.
ISIS-affiliated terror attacks
Multiple arrests of ISIS-affiliated suspects have been made by the Shin Bet in the past. Another suspect was arrested in July, and in his interrogation, he admitted to identifying with ISIS and preparing to fight with the organization against Israel.
In March, a wave of terrorist attacks broke out throughout Israel. Two of the attacks, one in Beersheba and one in Hadera, were carried out by terrorists who identified with ISIS.