Mohammed Shalabi, 22, a pharmacy student from the Beit Hanina neighborhood in eastern Jerusalem, planned to carry out terrorist attacks against security forces and Jewish civilians using explosive devices and deadly poisons, with the aim of causing mass casualties, according to an indictment filed against him Thursday in the Jerusalem District Court.
According to the indictment, filed by attorney Amihai Marx of the Jerusalem District Attorney's Office, Shalabi, a third-year pharmacy student at al-Quds University in Abu Dis who also worked as a pharmacy assistant, underwent a process of ideological radicalization, partly in response to the events of October 7 and the subsequent war.
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During this period, he systematically consumed content associated with the Hamas and ISIS terrorist organizations and decided to use the knowledge he had gained through his studies and his access to chemicals to carry out deadly terrorist attacks.
In early 2025, angered by parking tickets issued to worshippers near a mosque in the Beit Hanina neighborhood, Shalabi planned to plant an explosive device at a location where enforcement officers regularly stationed.To prepare for the attack, he monitored their activities for about two months and downloaded bomb-making instructions from the internet. The plan was never carried out because enforcement officers stopped coming to the area.
Shalabi subsequently planned a large-scale terrorist attack in which he sought, in his own words, to kill "lots of Jews." To prepare for the attack, he joined Telegram groups associated with terrorist organizations, including an ISIS-affiliated group, and downloaded dozens of files containing instructions for making bombs, explosives and deadly poisons.
He also copied formulas for producing poisons capable of causing death through skin contact, inhalation or ingestion into a notebook and documented substances that could be used to make explosives.
Chemical experiment in bathtub
According to the indictment, Shalabi went beyond planning and took concrete steps to prepare for the attacks. He traveled to Ramallah on two occasions, purchasing chemicals and equipment while splitting up the purchases to avoid raising suspicion, and stored the materials in his bedroom at home.
He later conducted a chemical experiment in his bathtub, igniting a mixture he had prepared to test the chemicals. Shalabi also deleted files and search history from his phone in an effort to conceal his activities.
The indictment charges Shalabi with preparing to commit a terrorist murder and undergoing training for terrorism. Prosecutors have asked the court to keep him in custody until the end of his trial.
The investigation was conducted by the Jerusalem District Police Central Unit and the Shin Bet security agency.