A doctor at Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba who pledged allegiance to ISIS has been arrested, and an indictment was filed against him, the Israel Police reported Thursday.
In a joint operation, the Israel Police and the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) arrested Beersheba resident Muhammad Azzam, 34, originally from Nazareth, the police said in a statement.
The Shin Bet detained Azzam, an Israeli citizen, for questioning in July on suspicion of engaging in activities inspired by ISIS.
“The hospital administration takes the allegations very seriously and is shocked by them,” Soroka Medical Center said in a statement, according to Maariv. “The case is being investigated and handled by the relevant legal authorities, and we are confident in their handling of the matter.”
Azzam joined ISIS and pledged allegiance to it, the police said.
The investigation found that he had been reading ISIS-affiliated extreme online content since 2014, the Justice Ministry said in a statement.
Following the investigation, the Southern District Prosecutor’s Office filed an indictment against Azzam on August 8.
The indictment noted his mockery and celebration of October 7 atrocities
According to the indictment filed by Attorney Hofit Kantorovich, numerous media files were found on the doctor's phone, including executions, beheadings, and mutilated bodies, as well as folders titled "Explosive Materials" and "Poison Preparation" with files such as "Ricin," "Rotten Meat Poison," and more.
Following October 7, Azzam decided to join ISIS officially and pledged allegiance to Abu Hafs al-Hajri al-Qurashi, the new caliph of the organization.
Furthermore, following October 7, Azzam sent his friends footage of October 7 atrocities with a tone of mockery and joy, according to the indictment.
Azzam has been detained until all legal proceedings are finished, per the prosecution's request. The detention request noted that his behavior indicates that he is a danger to the public, especially in his role as a doctor in a hospital.
On December 11, when wounded IDF soldiers arrived at Soroka Medical Center, in messages exchanged on WhatsApp, the defendant's friend wrote, "May Allah extinguish his light," after Azzam told him of a specific case.
Azzam responded, "Haha, Amen."
In April, police and Shin Bet thwarted terrorist attacks planned by two supporters of ISIS in east Jerusalem, and four residents of Tarqumiyah in the West Bank were arrested for plotting an Islamic State-inspired attack.
Another two east Jerusalemites were arrested for plotting a terror attack in the name of ISIS in January.
There have been several other cases over the years, and several others responsible for terror attacks in Israel later joined ISIS.