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PortugueseIbrahim Hassan Yussef Agrabia, 23, a resident of Um Al-Fahem, was arrested at Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport after being deported from Turkey for attempting to join ISIS.
Israeli forces arrested an Arab with Israeli citizenship after he failed in his attempt to join the Islamic State (ISIS) terror group in Syria.
The Shin Bet (Israel’s Security Agency) cleared for publication on Wednesday that it arrested Ibrahim Hassan Yussef Agrabia, 23, a resident of Um Al-Fahem, earlier this month as he landed in Tel Aviv’s airport after being deported from Turkey.
The Shin Bet said that Agrabia had fostered an allegiance to ISIS over the past months after being exposed to its online propaganda. He cultivated a radical Islamic ideology and decided to join ISIS.
Agrabia flew to Istanbul, Turkey, from which he hoped to cross into Syria. Turkey is a popular route for foreigners attempting to join ISIS in Syria and Iraq. He was arrested by Turkish security forces on the border with Syria, and was deported to Israel after several days of interrogation.
Before departing for Turkey, Agrabia left a letter for his family in which he stated his intentions to join ISIS. Several of Agrabia’s acquaintances knew of his aspirations and expressed support for them, the Shin Bet said.
“Agrabia’s arrest demonstrates the grave danger posed by Israelis joining the fighting in Syria, which is controlled by Jihadists who are members of extreme Islamic organization,” the Shin Bet stated.
“They are exposed to a militant ideology, while undergoing military training and acquiring abilities which can be used for terror activities,” the Shin Bet added.
The security agency added that there is a fear that ISIS may use its Israeli recruits as a source for information on potential Israeli targets, or as a means to carry out terror attacks inside the country.
“Agrabia’s case, as previous ones, demonstrates the results and implications of exposure to online ISIS content,” the Shin Bet emphasized.
Agrabia was indicted in a Hiafa court of Wednesday.
Over the past year, Israeli security forces have exposed several ISIS terror cells operating in Israel, comprised mostly of Arabs with Israeli citizenship.
Israel estimates that at least 50 Israeli Arabs have joined ISIS in Syria and Iraq over the past two years. At least ten of them have been arrested upon their return to the country and a few others have been killed in action while fighting with ISIS.
Israel fears that Arabs returning to Israel from fighting with ISIS will use their experience to establish terror networks and launch attacks within Israel, or that Arabs in Israel will be inspired by ISIS, and especially via social media, and will operate against the Jewish state and its citizens.
By: Max Gelber, United with Israel
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