Two teenage ISIS members indicted for planning terror attack on Lod synagogue

The teens planned to stab the security guard with a poisoned knife, steal his weapon, and shoot congregants with his rifle.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

Two teens aged 16 and 17, one an Israeli citizen and the other from the Palestinian Authority, were indicted for planning a terror attack on a Lod synagogue as members of the Islamic State (ISIS) terror organization.

According to the indictment, prior to August 2024, the Israeli teen began reaching out to ISIS and contacting its members on social media, asking them about joining.

The teen joined ISIS and swore allegiance to the terror group and its leader in a video and sent it to the organization.

Because he was an Israeli citizen, the teen had unhindered access to other citizens. The terror group leveraged this advantage to order him to carry out a terror attack on the synagogue in Lod during Shabbat services, when the building was most likely to be filled with people.

The Israeli teen sent a detailed photograph to his contact in Hebron and they began planning the attack.

The pair initially planned to carry out a shooting attack on worshippers on Shabbat morning but abandoned the idea of bringing their own weapon.

Instead, they decided that they would stab the security guard with a poisoned knife, steal his weapon, and shoot congregants with his rifle.

The Israeli teen met up with the Hebron teen and inducted him into ISIS. He demanded that the Hebronite swear loyalty to the terror organization and commit to attacking the synagogue.

In late March, Israeli authorities arrested a different 17-year-old from the Arab-Israeli town of Jisr az-Zarqa for allegedly planning terror attacks in northern Israel on behalf of ISIS.

In a joint statement released on Sunday, the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet) and the Israel Police confirmed the teen was taken into custody on March 2. According to investigators, the suspect had pledged allegiance to ISIS multiple times, including to its current leader.

The teen had reportedly been plotting bombing attacks in the Menashe region of the Haifa district. During the investigation, authorities uncovered materials in his possession detailing how to manufacture explosive devices.

The Haifa District Prosecutor’s Office has formally indicted him on charges of supporting a terrorist organization and planning acts of terror. Prosecutors have requested that he remain in custody until the conclusion of his trial.

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