Arab Man Arrested in J'lem, Charged With Plotting Attack

Jerusalem, 27 October, 2016 (TPS) -- Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) and Jerusalem Police announced Thursday that a residents of Ras al-Amud, an Arab-majority neighborhood in eastern Jerusalem, were arrested on September 14 on suspicion of planning a terror attack.

The man, 25-year-old Mohammad Abassi, tried to purchase guns in recent months in order to shoot Israeli civilians and security personnel. In a statement, Shin Bet also has a history of involvement in stone and Molotov cocktail attacks and has posted support for Hamas on his Facebook page. Investigators also said Abassi tried to learn how to make pipe bombs, although he never tried to create one.

Abassi’s Facebook page also allegedly features incitement to terrorism, including support for the terrorist who killed four people at Tel Aviv’s Sarona Market last June, as well as the person who exploded himself on the number 12 bus in Jerusalem last April. He has been charged with making contact with a terror organization, intent to kill, creating and carrying weapons, rioting and attempting to attack security officers.