Five residents of the Arab-Israeli city of Taibeh were arrested on suspicion of forming a terror cell affiliated with ISIS, with plans that included bombing a car in the Azrieli Mall in Tel Aviv, police and the Shin Bet revealed Thursday. Indictments are expected to be filed against them in the coming days. Footage of their arrests was also released.
The suspects were apprehended by the Gidonim Unit of Lahav 433, which handles serious national and international crimes, and various weapons were found in their possession. During interrogation, it was uncovered that they had watched online videos of bombings in Syria and discussed the amount of explosives needed to bring down the Azrieli Towers.
Footage of the arrest of the suspects
(Video: Israel Police)
The first arrests included the cell's leaders, Mahmoud Azzam and Ibrahim Sheikh Youssef. As the investigation progressed, it was revealed that they had connections with ISIS operatives and recruited three additional Taibeh residents – Sajed Masarwa, Abdullah Baransi, and Abed al-Karim Baransi – to advance their terror plans in Israel.
Israel Police and Shin Bet officials emphasized that this was a particularly dangerous and unusual organization of Israeli citizens, who conspired to carry out severe security offenses against the State of Israel and its citizens in the name of ISIS ideology. The terror infrastructure was uncovered and thwarted in the early stages of its execution thanks to precise and effective intelligence work, according to the police and Shin Bet.
"This is a serious security case, and thanks to a coordinated and professional investigation by the police and Shin Bet, we prevented a major disaster and saved lives," Central District Police Commander, Chief Superintendent Yair Hatzroni, said. "We will continue to act within our legal authority to preemptively foil any intentions to harm the security of the State of Israel and its citizens."
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