Ibrahim Agbariya
Israeli-Arab trying to join ISIS arrested
Ibrahim Agbariya, an Israeli-Arab resident of Umm al-Fahm, was caught by Turkish authorities in Gaziantep trying to join ISIS in Syria; He is now on trial in Israel following his extradition from Turkey.
An Israeli-Arab was arrested at Ben Gurion International Airport after attempting to join ISIS, it was cleared for publication on Wednesday. He was arrested in a joint Shin Bet and the Coastal District Police in the beginning of June.
The man, Ibrahim Hassan Yusef Agbariya, 23, is originally from the city of Umm al-Fahm in Wadi Ara, northern Israel.
Under questioning, Agbariya revealed that in the past several months he had been exposed to videos and other ISIS propaganda, and began to identify with the terrorist organization. He decided to make his way to Syria to join the fighting as an ISIS mujahid, or holy warrior.
After researching the routes into Syria, Agbariya boarded a plane to Istanbul, from where he took a connecting flight to Gaziantep – a Turkish city on the border with Syria. He was arrested by Turkish authorities in Gaziantep and was extradited back to Israel several days afterwards.
Ibrahim Agbariya tried to join ISIS in Syria
An investigation revealed that Agbariya left a note for his family in which he expressed his desire to carry out jihad. It was also emerged during th investigation that several people who knew Agbariya were aware of his plans to go to Syria, and even supported him.
A major fear exists among Israeli security forces that Israeli citizens who harbor extremist ideologies will be taught by jihadist organizations how to carry out terror attacks on Israeli soil.
"This case, like many others, only illustrates the risks of what can happen when young people are exposed to ISIS material on the internet," read the Shin Bet statement.
