Israeli security forces foil Temple Mount shooting attack planned by ISIS-linked militants

Residents of Arab town, where perpetrators of deadly July terror attack lived, planned copycat attack at Judaism’s holiest site.

The Shin Bet and the police announced the arrest of three Israeli Arab citizens of Umm al-Fahm Thursday. The suspects were supporters of the ISIS terrorist organization and plotted terrorist attacks against Israeli citizens.

Two of the detainees planned to carry out a shooting attack on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, similar to the deadly attack in which two Druze policemen were murdered in July. The terrorists who perpetrated the murderous attack also came from Umm al-Fahm.

The detainees are Sa’id Ghasoub Mahmud Jabarin, a 26-year-old resident of Umm al-Fahm, who was involved in planning the foiled attack on the Temple Mount. A 16 year old boy was also detained in connection with the planned attack. The teenager’s name was not cleared for publication.

During the arrests and interrogation, two pistols and ammunition were seized, which were supposed to serve both suspects in carrying out the attack.

The third detainee is Faras Salah Mahmoud Mahajna, a 24-year-old resident of Umm al-Fahm. Mahajna was arrested for supporting ISIS and illegal weapons possession when a Carl Gustav automatic rifle was found in his house.

The investigation revealed that the suspects who plotted to carry out the shooting attack on the Temple Mount support the radical ideology of the ISIS terrorist organization.

Following the arrest and interrogation of the three suspects, additional suspects were arrested in the Umm al-Fahm area, all involved in the trafficking of weapons. During the arrest more illegal weapons were seized.

A senior Shin Bet source noted, “The picture taken from the investigation shows that relatively shortly after the murderous attack in July 2017 on the Temple Mount, two residents of Umm al-Fahm planned a similar attack on the Mount. The attack was prevented due to accurate intelligence information from the Shin Bet security service, which allowed the cell members to be arrested in advance and before they could carry out the serious attack.

The Shin Bet security service sees Israelis Arab citizens supporting the Islamic State terrorist organization, especially those who maintain contact with the organization’s operatives and operate under the auspices of the organization in the territories of the State of Israel, as a serious security threat. The Shin Bet will continue to act with determination employing the necessary enforcement measures in order to prevent the dissemination of ISIS doctrine in Israel, as well as to prevent carrying out any activity that harms state security.”

Source: INN