A resident of northern Israel swore allegiance to ISIS and planned to carry out an attack against soldiers at a mall in Karmiel, the Shin Bet security agency and police said, adding that an indictment has been filed following a joint investigation.
In a joint operation by the Shin Bet and the police’s Northern District major crimes unit in recent weeks, Mohammad Abd al-Ghani, about 20, from the Arab town of Nahf in the Galilee, was arrested for questioning. The investigation found that he had pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group, attempted to purchase a handgun and intended to carry out an attack in Karmiel. “I tried to buy a handgun to carry out an attack against soldiers at a mall in Karmiel, but I encountered only civilians, not soldiers,” he told the Shin Bet. During his arrest, posters and symbols found in his room indicated affiliation with the Islamic State group.
An indictment was filed Thursday morning at the Nazareth District Court by the Northern District Prosecutor’s Office, along with a request to hold him in custody until the end of legal proceedings. The Shin Bet and police said they “view with great severity the growing phenomenon in which Israeli citizens seek to act on behalf of terrorist organizations against the State of Israel and will continue to act decisively to thwart such activity.”
About two years ago, a man was killed in a stabbing attack at the Karmiel mall in the city, and another person was evacuated in serious condition. The attacker was shot and killed at the scene by an individual who neutralized him. Security camera footage showed the assailant lunging at young people on the mall’s second floor, stabbing them in front of frightened shoppers and attempting to flee. Seconds later, he was shot dead.
First published: 10:56, 04.30.26