Israel Foils ISIS-Linked Terror Cell Plot to Bomb Tel Aviv Mall

Latest Developments​

An ISIS-linked plot to bomb a major mall in Tel Aviv has been foiled, according to a joint statement issued by the Israeli police and the Shin Bet security service on October 10. The plot allegedly centered on five Arab citizens of Israel who are residents of the central city of Taybeh and who are understood to have formed a cell linked to ISIS, the Islamist terrorist group that emerged in Iraq and Syria. “The five were arrested after a month-long clandestine investigation in collaboration with the Lahav 433 serious crime unit and were set to face charges in the coming days,” The Times of Israel reported.

The leaders of the cell were named as Mahmoud Azam and Ibrahim Sheik Yousef. The pair then recruited three others, named as Sajed Masarwa, Abdullah Baransi, and Abdel Kareem Baransi. According to Israeli intelligence, Azam and Yousef had made contact with ISIS operatives and had planned to travel abroad to meet with them. Their plan to bomb the mall in Tel Aviv’s landmark Azrieli Towers was uncovered in its early stages with the help of “precise and effective intelligence operations,” the joint statement said. The statement noted that the arrests “prevented a major disaster and saved lives,” pledging that the police and Shin Bet would continue to “use all means at their disposal to thwart plots to harm the security of the State of Israel and its citizens.”

The disclosure followed an October 9 stabbing spree by an Arab citizen in the northern town of Hadera, which authorities described as a terrorist attack. One of the seven people wounded died on October 10. Meanwhile, on October 6 — one day before Israel commemorated the first anniversary of the Hamas atrocities in the south — a member of Israel’s Bedouin minority shot dead a police officer and wounded 10 others in the city of Beersheba.

Expert Analysis​

“Arabs, most of them Muslim, make up 21 percent of Israel’s population — a representation larger than any Muslim minority in a Western country. Yet throughout this war, Israeli Arabs have largely refrained from pro-Palestinian violence and often closed ranks with their Jewish compatriots in assistance drives for communities under Hamas or Hezbollah fire. Still, the uptick in attacks by members of this community is worrying. Iran and its proxies Hamas and Hezbollah have been trying to stir unrest among Arab citizens of Israel — not just in the West Bank.” — Mark Dubowitz, FDD CEO

“The overwhelming majority of Israeli Arabs are law-abiding citizens. Yet like in most societies, some within this minority harbor radical views and are willing to engage in acts of violence. Israel is an attractive target for terrorist organizations. Consequently, terrorist organizations such as ISIS and Hamas are constantly attempting to recruit individuals living inside the Jewish state to carry out attacks.” — Joe Truzman, Senior Research Analyst and Editor at FDD’s Long War Journal

Related Analysis

“Israeli Businessman Indicted in Iranian-Orchestrated Assassination Plot Appears in Court,” FDD Flash Brief

“Gaza War Boosts Solidarity Between Israeli Arabs and Jews,” FDD Flash Brief

“Israel’s Arabs are the Latest Victim of Iran’s Proxy Wars,” By David May and Jonathan Schanzer

“Despite Deadly Stabbing, Hopeful Signs for Jewish-Arab Relations in Israel,” by David May