TikTok terror: Israeli police arrest potential ‘martyr’ wrapped in Hamas flag

Arab man from Jerusalem posts video of himself praying while wrapped in Hamas flag, with text about the glory of martyrdom.

By Lauren Marcus, World Israel News

Israeli police arrested an 18-year-old Arab man from the eastern Jerusalem Shua’fat neighborhood on Monday evening after he allegedly uploaded a video of himself wrapped in a Hamas flag and text celebrating the idea of martyrdom to TikTok.

In the video, the man is seen wearing a black baseball cap and face covering, with a green Hamas flag wrapped around his body.

Text overlay on the video reads, “How beautiful it is to pray and then to go out and fight for your land and be a martyr.”

He is kneeling on an Muslim prayer rug while pointing to a wall decoration with the word “Allah” and praying.

After the clip was posted to TikTok, the Jerusalem Division of the Israeli police opened an investigation, as it appeared that the man in the video was glorifying terror and may be planning to commit an act of violence.

“[We] are constantly working across the [social] networks to locate and take care of those suspected of carrying out acts of terror, threats, violence, and incitement,” police said in a statement.

“In accordance with the policy of the Jerusalem District Commander, all of the District’s units are directed to determinedly and uncompromisingly handle [such issues], including monitoring, investigating, handling, and locating those suspected of committing different and varied crimes, while publicizing them on social media.

“We will continue to determinedly fight terror and threats to carry out acts of terror on social media and in every other place,” the statement said.

During 2021, a number of videos posted to the TikTok platform sparked police investigations. One clip, which depicted an Arab youth slapping an ultra-Orthodox teenager in an unprovoked attack, went viral.

The assailant was eventually tracked down and arrested by the authorities.