Security forces again succeeded in thwarting a plot against its citizens. On Sunday, they announced the arrest of three terrorists allegedly linked to ISIS.
The cell arrested in Hebron – Right to left: Ahmed Shahada, Qassai Masawada and Muhammad Zaro. (Photo: Shabak)
The Shabak (Israeli Security Agency) announced on Sunday that it had captured a terror cell believed to be affiliated with the Islamic State (IS or ISIS) terror organization.
The terrorists, who were arrested in November in conjunction with the IDF, planned various attacks and even detonated a bomb on an IDF unit. No one was injured in the attack.
All three are residents of Hebron.
Ahmed Shada, 22, confessed that he established an ISIS military cell for the purpose of executing terror attacks. He admitted to having produced explosive devices together with Qassai Div Masawada, 23.
Together with Muhammad Zaro, 21, they planned to murder an IDF soldier and to use his weapon and uniform to execute further attacks, reports indicate. However, they did not succeed in going through with it.
The Security Agency announced that it had sent the cases to military prosecutors, who proceeded to indict the three suspects.
IDF Keeping Close Tabs on ISIS
(Photo: IDF)
Channel 2 reports that the IDF’s directorate of Military Intelligence increased its monitoring of ISIS, having established a designated body charged with gathering information on the terrorist organization.
“We made adjustments when we realized that ISIS has broken the historical boundaries,” a senior intelligence officer told Channel 2. “Most of our intelligence on the organization is collected from the internet, because ISIS does not belong to a particular arena where we have intelligence assets.”
Beyond the looming threat on Israel’s borders, the IDF is worried about the possibility of an ISIS presence in Judea and Samaria and the terrorist organization’s influence. “For the IDF, it is a very disturbing possibility that these videos [sent out by ISIS] are affecting the Palestinian public, which is very frustrated with their leadership, and we are monitoring this closely,” the officer noted.
“ISIS’s people are knocking on our border,” he said. “Today they are strong in the Sinai, and therefore we must be prepared for it.”
By: Aryeh Savir
Staff Writer, United with Israel
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