Security forces arrest Umm el-Fahm man on suspicion of supporting ISIS
In a joint Shin Bet - Israel Police operation, 22-year-old Muhammad Abu Ra'ad was arrested. According the the Shin Bet, Ra'ad posted pro-ISIS messages on his Facebook account.
By YAAKOV LAPPINSmoke raises behind an Islamic State flag in Iraq (photo credit: REUTERS)
Security forces announced Thursday the arrest of an Arab-Israeli resident of Umm el-Fahm, on suspicion of supporting Islamic State.In a joint Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) – Israel Police operation, 22-year-old Muhammad Abu Ra’ad was arrested. According the Shin Bet, Ra’ad posted pro-Islamic State messages on his Facebook account.He was charged on Thursday for supporting the outlawed terrorist organization.The Shin Bet said Islamic State is a “leading global jihad organization that recently conquered territories in Iraq and Syria with brutal violence, and declared the establishment of an Islamic caliphate, while violently repressing the local population and brutally murdering opponents and Western journalists.”The domestic intelligence agency vowed to make every effort to combat this “dangerous and illegal phenomenon, of support for the murderous Islamic State organization among Israeli citizens, in light of the danger is poses to the security of the State of Israel.”On May 19, customs officials at Ben-Gurion Airport made an unusual seizure after discovering 120 rings carrying Islamic State emblems and texts. The package was on its way to an importer in Ramallah, and contained hundreds of other items of jewelry, the Customs Directorate said.The Tax Authority added that the rings were shipped from Turkey, and have been categorized as constituting illegal propaganda, and hence, banned for import.Security forces have been notified.In February, security forces arrested a resident of Nazareth who may be the first Israeli to fight for Islamic State in Iraq, the Shin Bet said.The suspect, Maharan Yussuf Khaladi, born in 1995, was arrested upon his return, and subsequently confessed during questioning to fighting alongside Islamic State.
Before allegedly deciding to join the terrorists, the suspect viewed Islamic State videos on the Internet, which “influenced him deeply,” the Shin Bet added.The Shin Bet warned at the time of the arrest that the phenomenon of Arab Israelis traveling to combat arenas in Syria and Iraq is an extremely dangerous development, due to the presence of hostile jihadist elements.Volunteers undergo military training and receive exposure to radical jihadist ideology, the Shin Bet said.“There is a concern that they will be exploited by terrorist elements to carry out military activity against the state o Israel and/or gather information on targets in Israel.”
