3 arrested in ISIS-linked terror plot targeting Tel Aviv

The 3 terrorists were upset by the Gaza war and had become radicalized by Taliban and ISIS online content.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

Three residents of the Bedouin town of Tel Sheva in the Negev were arrested for plotting terror attacks within Israel, including Tel Aviv.

The three were upset by Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza and had become radicalized by extremist online content, including from ISIS and the Taliban.

The three arrested were identified as Wadi Atta, Assi (Matsab) Abu Asa, and Maawiya Abu Asa.

After an investigation by Shin Bet and the police it was discovered that in addition to planning terror attacks, the three were focused on finding and recruiting new members.

They were also making plans on how to secure weapons to carry out their terror attacks.

Regarding the incidents, the Shin Bet said it takes “the involvement of Israeli citizens in terrorist activities very seriously and will continue to act to thwart such activities and ensure that those involved in terrorism face the full severity of the law, to protect the citizens and residents of Israel.”

Other ISIS adherents were arrested by Israeli police in April for plotting terror attacks, including an attempt to assassinate National Security Minister Ben Gvir.

The three men in their 20s were arrested in East Jerusalem, and one of them had been trained by an ISIS terror operative overseas.

The cell had initially planned to build and detonate explosives in a mass casualty attack but, due to logistical issues, had decided to pursue shooting attacks instead.

Possible locations scouted for the attack were Teddy Stadium, the largest soccer arena in Jerusalem, and a police station.

The terrorists were preparing to kill Ben-Gvir near his home in Kiryat Arba, Hebron, by using rocket-propelled grenades and other projectiles.

Those suspects were also planning an attack on Ben-Gurion International Airport, as well as plotting to kidnap Israeli soldiers, the Shin Bet said in a statement.

The cell members were a mix of Arab-Israelis and Palestinian residents of Judea and Samaria, with some originating from the southern Negev Bedouin city of Rahat and the mixed Arab-Jewish city of Lod in central Israel.