Two Arab citizens of Israel were indicted Thursday for allegedly plotting to carry out terror attacks in the name of Islamic State.
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The two – 22-year-old medical student Amin Yassin and 28-year-old Ali Armush from the northern town of Tamra – are accused of conspiracy to commit murder, making contact with a foreign agent and training for terrorist activity.
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Suspected Islamic State ideologues Amin Yassin, left, and Ali Armush, right
(צילום: תקשורת שב״כ)
They were arrested in July during a joint operation by the Shin Bet security service and the Israel Police.
According to the indictment, Armush made contact three years ago with a man who introduced himself as a Syrian national named Riah. The Syrian allegedly suggested that Armush travel to Syria via Turkey to join the fighting, but the plan never came to fruition.
Throughout June and July, the charge sheet claims, Armush watched terrorist training videos featuring such acts as bomb preparation, sniper shooting, using a variety of weaponry, car bombings and preparing poisons.
Armush allegedly watched the videos on numerous Telegram channels affiliated to Islamic State, which provided training for terrorist acts.
The indictment charges that in addition to these allegations, the defendant was found to have in his possession additional content, including multiple videos documenting violent IS activities, how to prepare bombs and gun silencers and how to fight in built-up areas, and even an explainer for people who wanted to help the organization.
According to the charge sheet, Armush also had various documents, including how-to guides for assassination, abduction, waging personal jihad, making explosive materials, producing poisons including ricin, chloroform and napalm production, and killing with a knife.
The Shin Bet said its investigation showed that the two supported Islamic State and saw themselves as its envoys until the establishment of caliphate in Israel.
As part of their efforts to promote IS goals, the two suspects allegedly worked to spread the terror group's ideology to others.
Armush is alleged to have operated around one thousand fake Twitter accounts designed to hide his identity, which he used to disseminate content related to Islamic State, using the organization's name as a hashtag so as to reach its supporters in various countries.
He was also allegedly involved in training others, inclding Yassin, to open fake accounts on Telegram and Twitter.