Israeli prosecutors on Sunday filed an unusual indictment against a 14-year-old boy from central Israel, accusing him of espionage and contact with a foreign agent on behalf of the al-Qaeda terrorist network.
According to the indictment, submitted to the Tel Aviv District Juvenile Court by state attorney Aviv Bar-Or, the teenager identified with al-Qaeda and described himself online as a “Muslim spy” living in the Gush Dan region. He was reportedly a member of a Signal messaging group called “Armed Cyber and Jihad Movement,” which was operated by a foreign agent. Members of the group allegedly swore allegiance to al-Qaeda.
Prosecutors said the boy used his mobile phone to photograph and film two former military facilities and sent their coordinates to the agent. He also wrote in the group that he planned to photograph a police station in Tel Aviv and carry out attacks against Israelis using a knife or Molotov cocktail. According to the indictment, he even expressed an intent to assassinate Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The foreign agent allegedly encouraged him to commit the acts and instructed him to record a video statement beforehand declaring that he was acting on behalf of al-Qaeda.
Investigators said the teen also tried to join Hamas and showed interest in producing improvised explosive devices and carrying out actions against Israel’s security forces.
The Tel Aviv District Prosecutor’s Office asked that the boy remain in custody, arguing that he acted “with awareness and intent to harm the security of the state and its citizens,” and that he had “crossed from online activity to operational steps toward intelligence gathering.”
Authorities said his statements and activities demonstrated “a clear willingness to carry out attacks and kill Israelis, while experimenting with the production of improvised explosives.”