Police arrested five Israeli citizens from Taybeh who had pledged allegiance to ISIS on Thursday, thwarting a planned terror attack at the Azrieli Mall in Tel Aviv.
The five, who were previously unknown to the police, were arrested by special units officers, who found them with a Carl Gustav rifle and other materials. The planned attack involved a car bomb and shooting at Azrieli Mall. Police said the suspects, aged 20-30, pledged allegiance to ISIS and consumed ideological material from the radical Islamist group.
Targeting a crowded area
A prosecutor’s statement was submitted on Tuesday, and an indictment on terrorism charges is expected on Friday. Police arrested Mahmoud Azzam and Ibrahim Sheikh Youssef, who follow ISIS ideology. The investigation found that the two had intended to join ISIS combat zones abroad and had contacts with foreign ISIS operatives. Creating a small terror cell, they recruited three additional Taybeh residents – Sajed Masarwa, Abdallah Baransi, and Abd al-Karim Baransi to further the cell’s terrorist activities in Israel.
Security forces discovered potassium in their possession during the investigation, a substance known for its use in explosives assembly. According to reports, the suspects had planned a combined attack, targeting a crowded area in central Israel, including the Azrieli Towers.
Authorities emphasized that this is a dangerous, unusual organization of Israeli citizens.
Jerusalem Post Staff contributed to this report.